Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-01-03

Declaration of National Parks and New Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Revision of Boundaries of Sanctuaries so declared

- Priority has to be accorded to safeguard the natural forests, wet lands and wildlife in order to minimize the danger of destruction of the habitats of animals which have been faced with danger due to various unauthorized activities. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, to declare the forest stretch of Kalawewa and Balaluwewa of the Kahalla - Pallekale sanctuary bordering the districts of Kurunegala and Anuradhapura as 'Kalawewa National Park', to name the balance forest stretch falling within the Kurunegala District as 'Kahalla - Pallekale National Park', to declare the marine region around the Pasikuda area in the Trincomalee District as 'Kayankarni Marine Natural Reservation', to declare the forest area around the 'Kotuaththawala wewa' situated in the Nikaweratiya Divisional Secretary's Division of the Kurunegala District as 'Kotuaththawala Wildlife Sanctuary', to declare the 'Akurala Wet Land' situated in the Hikkaduwa Divisional Secretary's Division of the Galle District as 'Akurala Wildlife Sanctuary', the 'Kodigahakanda Forest Stretch' situated in the Horana Divisional Secretary's Division of the Kalutara District as 'Kodigahakanda Wildlife Sanctuary' and the Oceanic Zone where Small Rawana and Great Rawana light houses with coral reef situated off the South East Coast of Sri Lanka as the 'Small Rawana and Great Rawana Marine Sanctuaries' and for the revision of boundaries of the Maadu River Sanctuary situated in the Balapitiya Divisional Secretary's Division of the Galle District, was approved by the Cabinet.