Outcry Against Road Construction Through Knuckles World Heritage Site

 The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has submitted a written request to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, urging immediate attention and intervention regarding the controversial and illegal road development project currently underway within Sri Lanka's Knuckles Conservation Forest, designated as a World Heritage Site.

This special letter, issued with the signature of Mr. Dilena Pathragoda, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice, has been submitted to the UNESCO Secretary-General through the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO.

As highlighted in the letter, the proposed 8-kilometer road, planned to be constructed through the forest from Thangappuwa to Corbet's Gap, poses a severe threat to the existence of the Knuckles World Heritage Site, which possesses universal value and high biodiversity.

The organization emphasizes that such construction within the Knuckles area, which is the first declared conservation forest in the country under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, is a clear violation of the said ordinance,

and is an entirely illegal act.

The Centre for Environmental Justice further requests the UNESCO Secretary-General to conduct an urgent review of this matter, as the support extended by state officials and political representatives for this illegal process has created a serious problem regarding the protection, governance, and accountability of the country's heritage.