The Environmental Impacts of Unauthorized Activities. A Case of the Maragala Mountain Range Environment protection area in Sri Lanka

Unauthorized activities are generally known as illegal activities. Unauthorized activities mostly take place in mountainous ranges. This system originally belonged to the ago-farming system and falls within the larger scope of sustainable agriculture. In recent decades, however, considerable literature has shown that chena cultivation and the people who use it neglect their environmental responsibilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to systematically review and identify the environmental impact of unauthorized activities in the mountain range. The study was conducted in the Maragala mountain range EPA using 120 families focusing on 2 Gramaniladari divisions. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data analysis and content analysis was used for qualitative data analysis. With Results revealed that currently, people cut down 76% of trees on the premises ignoring the principles of chena cultivation and trade. Mechanical saws have been used for this purpose. 62% of the land is encroached land and also, and they doing agricultural activities without permission. More than 80% of the sample families have removed all trees in their fields during the last five years. Forest fires rapidly increased last five years as a result of chena cultivation that destroyed 500 acres of forest area. The main reason for all these activities is the settlements located in the upper part of the Maragala mountain range EPA. The study revealed that the patterns of agricultural land use in traditional villages have changed significantly over the past few decades.