Ven. Dunukedeniye Kusaladhamma Thera, Chief Incumbent of Pingalpoththa Raja Maha Viharaya, Polgolla, Gokarella, said that Buddha was the greatest environmentalist, who had taught the importance of planting and protecting trees.
The Thera was addressing the gathering after inaugurating a tree planting campaign by planting a Mee sapling at the temple last Saturday.
This programme was organised by the Ibbagamuwa Divisional Secretariat. The Thera said that in ancient days the people joined the King in establishing herbal gardens, but today there were people who could not even identify a common medicinal plant when they see one. Ibbagamuwa Divisional Secretary D.P.S.Kumara said that the main objective of the National Tree Planting Week was to plant one million trees across the country according to the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ‘Vision of Prosperity’ concept.
“We should not forget that trees are an integral part of the environment. Both man and animals cannot survive without trees. In Sri Lanka many laws had been passed to protect the trees. But unfortunately not everybody realised the value of trees and the destructive impact on the environment with the illegal felling of trees,” the Thera said.
A large number of Grama Niladharis were present.
