Ceylinco Life has undertaken the reforestation of 10 acres of degraded rainforest in Balangoda and its maintenance for five years, as a corporate sustainability initiative.
With an investment of Rs 5.7 million, the project will be executed in collaboration with the non-profit environmental organisation Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka, and will entail planting 10,000 trees, the life insurance market leader said.
The land to be reforested is in the Rajawaka Forest Reserve area in Balangoda, on the border of the wet and intermediate zones, and is part of an ecosystem of grass, shrubland, mountains and catchment blocks.
The objective of the project is to restore the area to forest and help the local community to protect the environment, thereby improving and enhancing the catchments and water security, reducing the frequency of fire and improving fire resistance, building up biodiversity, improving soil fertility and facilitating microorganism activity, and restoring the habitat for pollinator colonies such as bees and hornets.
The project would also provide different community benefits, including essential education on the importance of conservation, andgenerate long-term carbon benefits.
