New laws on wildlife conservation

CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE

The Sports and Public Recreation Ministry together with the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry is to bring in new laws pertaining to wildlife conservation and zoo management in line with recommendations of the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Corporation (SAZARC).

SAZARC’s Nineth Annual Conference is held in Colombo from February 10 to 15 organised by the Ministry of Sports and Public Recreation and the National Zoological Gardens. The Conference’s main theme this year is Zoo Legislation and Regulation.

SAZARC Secretary General Sally Walker, experts in the field of zoo management from SAARC countries, SAZARC President and Additional Secretary of the Sport and Recreation Ministry H. M.B. Herath, Secretary of Ministry S.Liyanagama, National Zoological Gardens Director Duminda Dissanayaka, resource persons from conservationists in the US and UK were present at the inauguration ceremony, which was held at Palm Beach Hotel, Mount Lavinia.

Sports and Public Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge was the chief guest.

The Minister asked SAZARC Secretary General Sally Walker and zoo personnel from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan and resource persons from US, UK and UAE to provide their valuable input, proposals and recommendations during their zoo visits so that the staff of the National Zoological Gardens Department would be able to consider them in their decision making.

Speaking on Sri Lanka’s efforts in zoo management, Minister Lokuge said they have raised the standards of the Dehiwala Zoological Garden and the open zoo at Pinnawala.

“The Department of National Zoological Gardens has designed the first ever Safari Park in Sri Lanka which is 500 acres in extent and will be established in Ridyagama,” he said.