The government has begun planning a series of development projects at and around the Hakgala Botanical Garden, intended to raise visitor numbers while protecting the surrounding mountain ecosystem.
A special field inspection of the garden was carried out under the direction of Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody, during which several proposals for the planned development were reviewed, Ada Derana reported.
What has not been announced
Ada Derana did not itemise the projects, name a budget or allocation, give a construction timeline, or say which agency will execute the work. It did not report which proposals were accepted at the inspection, or whether any were rejected.
The stated pairing of tourism growth with ecosystem protection is the substance of the announcement so far, but the report did not specify what protective measures are contemplated, or whether an environmental assessment will precede construction.
The site
Hakgala sits above Nuwara Eliya on the slopes below Hakgala rock, at one of the highest elevations of any botanical garden in Sri Lanka. It is one of the country’s principal gardens alongside the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, and it adjoins a strict nature reserve — which is the reason a development programme there carries a conservation condition rather than being a straightforward tourism build.
The garden is run by the Department of National Botanic Gardens, which sits under the Ministry of Environment and whose director general post was confirmed on a permanent basis earlier this month.
No other verified newsroom had reported the inspection at the time of writing, and no ministry statement had been published.
