World Environment Day falls today (05th). The National Environment Day Official Ceremony will be held this morning at Temple Trees, under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The international theme designated for World Environment Day this year is "Global Call for Climate Action."

However, Sri Lanka has decided to celebrate Environment Day under the national theme: "Let it Bloom – Let's Align to Mitigate Climate Change." In conjunction with World Environment Day, an Environment Week was also declared from May 30th to June 5th (today). Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment and its affiliated institutions organized numerous programs to mark the week.

Declaration of New Forest Reserves

Coinciding with this year's Environment Day, five forests—Ritigala Reserve, Aliyawatunu Wewa Reserve, Bulagala Reserve, Konkatiyawa Reserve, and Kallanchiya Forest—are scheduled to be officially declared as reserves. Additionally, the 'Kuda Bubula' water spring reserve was established as a new protected area.

Including these five reserves, a total of 81 forests have been designated as reserves since 2025 under the 'Wanaspathi' program. All five forests declared as reserves this time are located in the Anuradhapura District, spanning an area of approximately 2,169 hectares.

Government Initiatives for Conservation

The Ministry of Environment, under the current government, has launched several programs to protect the ecosystem. A new initiative named 'Wana Surakuma' (Forest Protection) was introduced to prevent deforestation. This program has been launched by integrating security forces, including the Tri-Forces and the Special Task Force (STF). Furthermore, a special hotline number has also been introduced to report and raise awareness about deforestation.