From conflict to conservation

Vankalai Sanctuary first step towards conservation in liberated north:

By Sajitha PREMATUNGE

Sri Lanka Ratna Thilo Hoffman

Greater Flamingos, from north-west of India. Pic by Gehan Rajapakse

Sri Lanka is the last landmark all the way to the Antarctic. It has been a safe haven for migrant avifauna, seeking to escape the sub-zero temperatures of the North, for millennia. For many such birds the Mannar region, including Vankalai Triangle (Vankalai, Puliyantivu Island and Tiruketiswaram) is their last stop at the end of the Central-South Asia flyway as well as on their way back.

Resident species breed in-country, while migrants make their way into another to breed during October to April. Some 200 migratory bird species have been recorded from the Vankalai Triangle, now upgraded to the category of Sanctuary. Lagoons, tidal mud flats, seasonal shallow water-bodies, ponds with a variety of vegetation and a small reservoir make the Vankalai Triangle an irresistible to migratory birds. Extensive grass flats and scrubland provide ideal roosting grounds for thousands of waterbirds, especially ducks and shorebirds. Various censuses conducted except during 1992 and 2001, due to the security situation have identified the Vankalai Sanctuary as invaluable for protection and survival of large numbers of migratory waterbirds.

Avocets at Vankalai Sanct. Pic by Kithsiri Gunawardena

It sustains well over the 20,000 waterbird mark which qualifies it as a Ramsar site, in approximately 4,800 ha. In 2003 a census came up with 120,134 birds! Among the migrant species that make Vankalai Sanctuary their home, the presence of three populations Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwit separately qualifies it as a Ramsar site. Eurasian Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot and Pied Avocet are a few other rare migrants in Sri Lanka, observed in the area.

Although it was proposed several times before; the armed conflict has prevented such interventions. But the conflict had acted as a blessing in disguise. It limited the interaction between humans and local wildlife such as regular shooting of ducks for about 20 years. As a result migrant turned resident the Indian Spot-billed Duck have been found breeding on site.

This is only the second such instant where a migrant bird established itself in the country. Only about five Spot-billed Ducks had been spotted in the half century before 2003.

"Birds come to the Vankalai Sanctuary from all over. All parts of Asia, from the Black Sea in the west to Manchuria and Kamchatka in the east, from India as the southern limit to Arctic Siberia as the northern. They come from many parts of India.

Spot-billed Duck at Mannar. Pic by Kithsiri Gunawardena

The Spot-billed Ducks may have crossed over from south India" said Ceylon Bird Club (CBC) Committee Member Udaya Sirivardana.

Since the Ceylon Bird Club a non-governmental, non-profit organization was founded in 1943, it has continuously been active in collecting, recording and providing information on the birds of Sri Lanka, their status and distribution.

In order to conserve bird diversity the club strives to find out which bird forms are threatened, the club monitors their survival, habitats, and conducts surveys. Many surveys have been conducted by CBC in Vankalai Sanctuary and it was their persuasion and data that facilitated the upgrade of area to the status of Sanctuary.

Flamingos Pic byPalitha Antony

However elevating it to the status of Sanctuary was originally proposed by Thilo Hoffman, then Chairman and the current Chairman Emeritus of CBC and a leading figure in conservation. "He single handedly worked to save Sinharaja and saved a large part of Vilpattu" says Udaya Sirivardana.

It has been recommended for a sanctuary many times before, when it was devoid of any settlements. Consequently the issue of depriving land for human settlement never arose. The fact that the area is uninhabited except for an Army camp and is under government and Army control has facilitated in it being classified as a Sanctuary.

The Vankalai Sanctuary is the first PA (Protected Area) declared in the North since the armed conflict began. The Department of Wildlife's decision to extend the Sanctuary to Pallimunai is caused for much rejoicing among environmentalists.