NATIONAL FORESTRY POLICY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

T Hewage
Forest Sector Development Division, Batteramulla

Development of the forestry sector has long been recognized as a crucial factor in overall national development contributing not only to economic growth, but also to environmental conservation and community well being. The forestry sector has strong interrelations with other key sectors, such as environment, agriculture, rural development, land use, energy, industries, water supply and tourism etc. It provides much needed forestry based products and services for other sectors to initiate productive economic activities for the benefit of the country and the community,

Hence there is a need to integrate forestry policies with agriculture rural development and other relevant sectoral policies. Similarly the influence of external polices on the contribution of forest to sustainable development is also equally important. It is therefore necessary to identify broad inter-sectoral linkages and the principal institutes where there are significant policy interactions.

Formulation of a National Forestry Policy (NFP) needs to be a process with provision for updating it, as and when required, taking into account the social, economical, environmental and political trends and priorities of the country. The National Forestry Policy of 1995 has been formulated based on this framework for sustainable development of the forestry sector for the benefit of present and future generations.

Department of Forestry and Environmental Science,
University of Sri Jayewardenepura,Sri Lanka. 1999. All rights reserved.