The Cabinet has granted approval to fill 1,683 essential vacant positions across nine institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, in a move aimed at strengthening environmental protection and advancing sustainable development goals.
According to the Ministry, the new government will launch short-, medium-, and long-term programs to protect the environment and promote sustainability. As a first step, the scopes of several related entities have been consolidated under the Ministry of Environment.
Institutions now affiliated with the Ministry include the Central Environmental Authority, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Forest Conservation, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, Department of National Zoological Gardens, Department of National Botanic Gardens, Water Resources Board, State Timber Corporation, Department of Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management, Marine Environment Protection Authority, GSMB Technical Services (Pvt) Ltd., and the Sri Lanka Climate Fund.
The government’s vision is to ensure efficient environmental management through optimal utilization of human resources within these agencies. However, the Ministry noted that a persistent shortage of personnel has hindered the smooth functioning of these institutions for many years.
Recognizing this challenge, the Cabinet has approved the recruitment of the required staff to address these shortages. The Officers’ Committee appointed by the Cabinet to review recruitment processes and manage staffing in the public sector has also endorsed the new recruitments, based on requests submitted by the relevant institutions from March 2025 onward.
