Environmentalists Claims Wheel Promoting Sport Tourism Destroys Forested Areas

Crisis

Environmentalists claim that the upcoming Commando 4×4 Expedition will destroy the forested areas in in SriLanka. Expedition will kick off from August 3 to 9 covering a distance of 775 km from Point Pedro to Uva Kuda Oya including some of country’s finest beaches, lagoons, jungles and mountains in the Eastern coastal belt . Environmentalists fears that this will enter the list of greatest man-made environmental destruction of SriLanka, if the event will take place as scheduled environmentalist claims  it will cause many environment hazards under the cover of ‘Sports Tourism’ banner which has become a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka during recent times.

Tourism Promotion badly needs a country-wide policy which assured the protection of island’s limited natural ecosystems. Environmental Authority must be firm on their policies says Ravindra Kariyawasam. The race will commence from Manalkadu and the vehicles will cross the lagoons in Kokkuthuduwai, Challai and Dehiwatta to reach Thoppigala Mountain. They will climb Rocky Mountains of Thoppigala to take an inland route through the jungles of East to drive on the sandy beach in Arugambay before they reach Uva Kudaoya Commando Training Centre to run the extreme event.

On their previous attempt to conduct a 4×4 event in Potuvill and Arugambay, 4×4 Club received a bold reaction from the fishing community of the area and had to cancel the event. Ravindra Kariyawasam further states that It is wise to conduct 4×4 events on prepared tracks or facilities as they have been conducted before and SriLanka cannot offer its limited natural assets for the fun and thrill of very little potion of the population who seek thrill on torturing mother nature.

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