Environmental Issues in Sri Lanka and Their Solutions- An Analytical Study

Ravindra Kariyasam

Center for Environment and Nature Studies , Sri Lanka

The American Heritage Science Dictionary (2005) defines environment as all of the biotic and abiotic factors that act on an organism, population, or ecological community and influence its survival and development. Biotic factors include the organisms themselves, their food, and their interactions. Abiotic factors include such items as sunlight, soil, air, water, climate, and pollution. Organisms respond to changes in their environment by evolutionary adaptations in form and behavior. The aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu. According to Collins’ English Dictionary (2003) environment includes (a) external conditions or surroundings, especially those in which people live or work (b) (Biology) ecology the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives which tend to influence its development and behavior (c) the state of being environed; encirclement. Ecology thus can be considered as part of environment. According Webster’s College Dictionary (2010) (a) environment is the aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences; surroundings; milieu. (b) the air, water, minerals, organisms, and all other external factors surrounding and affecting a given organism at any time. (c) the social and cultural forces that shape the life of a person or a population.

 

Environment thus can be considered as all inclusive including the ecology, hence is dealt with as such. Preservation of entire environment is the very fundamental principal of Mahayana Buddhism. The four environmental spheres i.e., atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere fall within the definition of environment. Environment can be natural or man-made. Here stress is on the ethics for preservation of natural environment from human interference and destructive efforts.

 

Sri Lanka is an island on the southern tip of India, which has been identified as one of the top biodiversity areas in Asia region. Sri Lanka’s natural forest resources are amongst the most floristically prosperous in Asia and it has the highest density of species diversity. However recently anthropogenic threats to its forests and other natural resources (e.g., coastal, rivers, soil, fauna, flora etc., have increased exponentially. Sri Lanka is presently faced with challenges of environment conservation such as deforestation, freshwater pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, soil erosion, wildlife poaching, coastal degradation, mangrove reduction etc. The lack of effective environmental laws and weak policies together compound the situation further (Ram Alagan: 2014). Deforestation and commercialization of wildlife have become a profitable business. Deforestation destroys not only forests but also reduces bio-intensity and biodiversity, (Yamamoto: 1998). The forests in Sri Lanka have been reduced to half in last 50 years. Due to various human induced practices mainly allowing settlements in forests, has caused the wanton destruction unabashedly. Deforestation has increased soil erosion, landslides, floods and flora degradation and damage to human life and property. The cutting down of tropical rain forests is particularly means a reduction in living things and ultimately causing havoc on whole ecosystem. The cutting down of tropical rain forests is particularly detrimental to wildlife and other living beings. The slash and burn type of farming still in vogue in most part of Sri Lanka to make way for agricultural production or harvesting trees for energy or export material. Commercialization of wildlife, either exported as food, pets or fur or usually further aggravated by over-hunting and deforestation, also reduces wildlife in some cases to the point of extinction.

 

Land development, transgenic crops and chemical pollution are also harmful to the environmental ecosystem. the continuous trend of developing farmlands, cities, dams, recreational facilities, land reclamation etc., are serious hazards to the existing and future human life. Transgenic crops created through a recombination of genes, transgenic crops may look beneficial since they have in-built protection against noxious insects, cold or dry weather and specific agricultural chemicals, but these transgenic crops introduce extraneous genes into the ecosystem which has the potential for destroying or seriously changing the structure of ecosystem and mechanism of evolution. The chemical pollution including heavy metals, agricultural chemicals, food additives as well as endocrine disrupters are rooted in extraction of naturally occurring materials such as heavy metals and synthesizing of artificial compounds using oil and chlorine etc. many artificial chemicals tend to turn toxic when accumulated in a living beings e.g., the agricultural chemicals, design to kill insects destroy the mechanism of living. Endocrine disrupters have been shown to affect reproduction through lower sperm count, as well as ontogeny seen through high risk of deformity. (Carson, 1987; Colborn ,1997 and Cadbury (1997)

 

Sri Lankans are as concerned about global warming, ozone layer depletion, deforestation, reduction of biodiversity etc., as any awakened environmentalist. The Sri Lankans find the reduction of biodiversity as the greatest challenge since it is affecting state’s ecosystem adversely. The wanton killings of animals, trees, fish and other types of species have gone unchecked over the ages has caused imbalance in the biodiversity. Sri Lanka is primarily Mahayana Buddhists who value life. In Buddhism human life and for that matter all other forms of life are regarded as being of the same matter. (Yamamoto: 1993, 1998). Buddhism follows six kinds of practices i.e., donating (dana paramita), keeping the percepts (sila paramita), forbearance (ksanti-paramita), being assiduous (virya- paramita), practicing meditation (dhyan-paramita), and cultivating wisdom (prajna-paramita). Living with wisdom, upholding the percepts and causing no pain are especially appropriate as ethical norms.

 

The killing of wildlife e.g., for hunting and food is also against the principle of Buddhism. The catching of monkeys, snakes, squirrels, tortoise etc., have been on the rise. Extinction of snakes helps increase in rodents. No one has the right to take life of others as per Mahayana Buddhism.

People must be wise enough to know the long term consequences of such exterminations. They must be wise enough to know the consequences of their actions. The attainment of wisdom ( prajana-paramita) by which a boddhistva attains enlightenment (sat Paramitah) is the attainment of absolute wisdom about dependent origination (pratyasamputada) and the “middle way”. The doctrine of dependent origination teaches us than an entity does not exist and generate independently. Instead, it is characterized by its fundamental interdependence and interconnectedness to all phenomena. This concept of fundamental interdependence and interconnectedness of all phenomena indicates a relationship of space (ontology) and time (formation). The ecological environment of today is included in the relationship of space and time. This means that all living being on earth are interrelated including the circulation of organics and inorganic matter. This also relates to subsequent births and transmigration. Regarding middle path Hirakawa ‘ as the middle way of pleasure and pain. Sakyamuni, unable to attain enlightenment through meditation, got into the rituals of pleasure and pain until got his salvation at the hands of Sujata. Pain here suggests the pain for practice while pleasure is the achievement of salvation. All living beings however deserve respect since they are all the forms of the one unitary whole. The following pf Buddhist ethics leads conservation of biodiversity.

Under the Sri Lanka Soil Act (1996) there are several institutions responsible to protect soil resources. Environment Ministry, Ministry of Maha Valley development, Ministries of Land and irrigation, housing, highways, industries, finance and provincial councils, mines and minerals, forestry and irrigation have their role to play. Although soil conservation regulation is well outlined in legislation, the implementation is very limited. Lack of public awareness caused erosion of rich lands in turn causing reservoir sedimentation. 40% of Polgolla dam is filled with slit. Increasing garbage in cities like Moratuwa, Kandy, Colombo, Matale, Gampaha, Negombo and lack of proper dumping is also becoming a major problem in environmental conservation. it has not only increased the litter but also affected the wild elephants and monkeys which were fed on the garbage and affected physically.

 

The spirit of Buddhism has however, restrained the people of Sri Lanka for large scale biodegradation and Sri Lanka remains the best bio-diverse and well-forested country in Asia.

One of the key principle of Buddhist teaching is ‘pratiyasamutpada’ meaning independent co-arising or ‘dependent origination’ whereby Buddhist see all things and phenomenon as interdependent and arising from multiple causes and conditions (Thich Naht Hanh, 1998: 221-249), analogous to sustainable development. Sustainable Development is based on the principle of matching human resources and needs of the beings without undermining the sustainability of natural systems and the environment, so that the needs of the future generations are also preserved (World Commission on Environment and Development report of 6 June 2013).

 

Buddhism teaches that the idea of separateness is an illusion. The health of the whole is inseparably linked to the health of the parts, and the health of the parts is inseparably linked to the health of the whole. This means that caring for the environment begins with caring for oneself: ‘When our hearts are good, the sky will be good to us.’ Buddhist practice makes one feel one’s existence is no more important than anyone else’s. If one treats nature as a friend and teacher, one can be in harmony with other creatures and appreciate the interconnectedness of all that lives. Buddha taught people to live simply and appreciate the natural cycle of life. Craving and greed only bring unhappiness, since demands for material possessions can never be satisfied and people will always demand more, so threatening the environment. This is why the real solution to the environmental crisis begins with the individual.

 

The principle of ‘inter-being’ provides a very meaningful tool for guiding human beings in relating holistically and responsibly with all other beings and parts of nature and our universe. It the people continue to destroy the environment, all humanity will suffer, for the consequences of pollution, loss of biodiversity, desertification, deforestation and climate change. The Buddhist teachings of compassion and love or loving kindness (King 2009, Chappell, 2000: Thich Naht Hanh, 2010) complement the vision of sustainable development. Not only should human beings act compassionately and lovingly towards other species including protecting biodiversity and avoiding harmful, inhumane or violent treatment of other sentient beings and parts of the universe but avoid unsustainable actions of ecological destruction, cruelty to animals, wars and militarization which also affect the environment negatively.

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