In 2008, a group of men with political backing took it upon themselves to commence the task of having 6,000 ha of Udawalawe National Park cleared and fenced for agriculture and settlement, effectively destroying the Dahaiyagala Sanctuary to its north, which serves as an important elephant corridor between Udawalawe and the Bogahapattiya Forest Reserve. This act of anarchy was against the law of the land, for only a gazette under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, and duly approved by Parliament, can delegitimize a tract of land previously declared as a national reserve (i.e. a protected area).To read full story visit: https://www.themorning.lk/a-lifeline-for-udawalawe/?fbclid=IwAR1LJROR48bQksVGklyX4RAazuZ6VE3unRvY1CN1tMSkZGakPOirTawo7Q8