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| Sunday, 21 September 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Wilpattu National Park : Re awakening a national treasure by ASIFF HUSSEIN The country's largest wildlife reserve, The Wilpattu National Park is now open to the public after a long wait of 18 years. The park was closed in 1985 due to security reasons following the LTTE attack on the Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura and was re-opened only in March this year.
The 331,936-acre reserve once teeming with wildlife such as deer, leopard, bears and elephants is however not as it used to be as we found out in a visit to the park early this month. Our incursion into the forest covering about 21 km of sandy track was greeted by numerous villus, the large natural pools of water which gave Wilpattu its name. The fauna here was however sparse though we did come across a few villus frequented by birds of various species and on one occasion a herd of deer who swiftly dispersed into the woods upon seeing us approaching. Habitat enrichment The white sands which gradually begin to appear on the beaten track towards the interior are difficult to cruise particularly for a non-four-wheel drive and on one occasion the wheels of our van sank into the sand which we salvaged with the greatest difficulty.
Much of the problems faced by visitors at present are attributable to the lengthy closure of the park which has resulted in the sandy tracks being covered by forest, thereby making it difficult for vehicles to penetrate the interior. However, according to Manjula Amararatne, Director in charge of the Wayamba Wildlife Zone about 120 km of pathway constituting over 80 percent of jungle track previously covered by forest have been cleared. The path has been cleared upto Talavila while one could go upto the Kokmade Bungalow as well as Kalivillu from Manikkapolauttu, he said. Amararatne also revealed that they were embarking on a habitat enrichment programme beginning at Maradanmaduwa where about five hectares have been selected for the purpose. The project involves the removal of weeds not consumed by wildlife thus facilitating the growth of grasses to provide more pasture for grazing animals like deer. He also noted that poaching and tree-felling were still serious problems and had to be dealt with by law with around 5-6 cases a month being filed against offenders in the courts. He noted that poaching largely takes place from the surrounding border villages like Eluvankulama, Vanatavilluva, Kukulkatuwa and Tantirimale. The Wildlife Department is presently conducting an awareness campaign to create an awareness on the need to protect wildlife for adults and school children in the border villages. Another means of conserving the forest from further depradations is to provide the inhabitants of the border villages with viable employment as envisaged in the Protected Area Management and Wildlife Conservation Project, says Amararatne. Wilpattu has not been named as a project site as it was closed at the time the proposals were being formulated, though it is possible that it could be included as a project site in the future, he added. Such measures it is felt would go a long way in helping conserve the rich plant and animal life of Wilpattu for posterity. Endangered species Wasantha Puspadana, Game Warden of Wilpattu National Park explained that endangered species such as deer and leopard have considerably dwindled in numbers during the 18 years the park was closed due to the illegal activities of poachers.
Guardposts have however now been established at various sites including the entrance at Hunuvilagama while range offices have been set up at Alivadiya, Kalawewa and Vilachchiya. These are expected to considerably reduce incidences of poaching, though much of course will depend on the dedication of the officers concerned. Puspadana said that they had also identified for clearing as many as 400 km of tracks used by wildlife officers to patrol the forest. The clearing of such pathway is expected to help the officers concerned perform their task more efficiently. The economic gains derived from the park are also considerable and Puspadana estimates that they grossed as much as Rs. 145,000 in August mostly from local visitors. All this shows that Wilpattu still holds much promise of becoming the wildlife paradise it once was. All it requires is the necessary commitment and dedication of the wildlife officers, government officials and of course us - ordinary citizens - whose duty is to preserve this priceless treasure for posterity. |
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