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Friday, February 12, 2010 - 8.17 GMT |
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USAID help Sri
Lanka's forests |
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U.S.
Ambassador
to Sri
Lanka,
Patricia
Butenis
officially
presented
mapping
equipment
and
specialized
software
to
assist
the
government's
Forest
Department
with
conservation
efforts
in the
North.
Forests
in
northern
Sri
Lanka
will be
better
protected
thanks
to
enhanced
cooperation
between
the Sri
Lankan
government
and the
government
of the
United
States,
reports
VOA.
"The
U.S.
Government
is
pleased
to
partner
with the
Ministry
of
Environment
to
increase
the
technical
capacity
of the
Forest
Department
so it
can
manage
Sri
Lanka's
valuable
forest
resources
more
effectively,"
said
Ambassador
Butenis.
"We
share
Sri
Lanka's
commitment
to
protecting
the
natural
environment,
and we
applaud
the
Government
of Sri
Lanka
for
making
conflict-affected
areas a
priority
for
conservation
efforts.
I am
especially
pleased
that
this
partnership
involves
a
transfer
of
technical
knowledge,
as we
have
much to
learn
from
each
other."
The
United
States
Agency
for
International
Development
(USAID)
will
also
provide
three
days of
technical
training
to the
Forest
Department
staff.
The
Forest
Department
will use
the new
equipment
to
collect
information
and
create
maps of
forest
resources.
As a
result
of the
conflict
in Sri
Lanka,
the maps
of
forest
resources
in the
North
have not
been
updated
for
nearly
twenty
years.
The
information
gained
through
this
partnership
will
help the
Forest
Department
make
sound
forest
management
and
conservation
decisions
for the
future,
VOA
said.
Since
1956,
USAID
has
invested
nearly
two
billion
dollars
to
benefit
the
people
of Sri
Lanka,
reported
VOA.
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