 The
beautiful Udawalawe National Park lies across the Ratnapura District in
the Sabaragamuwa Province and the Moneragala District in the Uva
Province covering an extent of 30,821 hectares. It was declared a
National Park on June 30 1972, under the Fauna and Flora Protection
Ordinance. The objective was to conserve the catchment area of the
reservoir, ensuring a flow of silt-free water to the reservoir and
providing refuge for wildlife displaced by the opening of land along the
lower reaches of the Walawe River for agriculture. Today the park
accommodates 150 resident and 200 migratory elephants.
The most prominent physical features of the park are the Kalthota
escarpment and Diyawinne falls in the north of the park and Ullugala
peak in the west. There are two little villages in the park namely
Sinuggala and Neboda.
The altitude of the park premises ranges from 100 m to 373 m with
Ulugalla being the highest point. The park centres around the Walawe
reservoir which covers a total area of 3,405 hectares. The reservoir
depends heavily on the rainfall which amounts to 1524 mm per year in
addition to the Walawe River that feeds it.
Both the inter-monsoon rains in November and mid-January contribute
largely to this. The dry season is from February to April. The average
temperature stands at 32 degrees C.
Importance of the Udawalawe National Park.The Udawalawe National Park
is an important ecosystem which maintains important biodiversity in the
dry zone. Its importance lies in providing protection to the catchment
area of the waterways that feed the Udawalawe reservoir and Mau Ara. The
park's close proximity to culturally and historically important sites
such as Veheragalla and Veheramankada is another factor that contributes
to its importance. Most importantly it provides a resting and feeding
ground for elephants.
This is the only place in Sri Lanka where elephants can be seen
during any time of the day when they frequent the area along the river,
especially during the dry season which is usually between May to
September.
This is due to the considerable number of elephants which amounts to
more than 500, counting both resident and migratory elephants, absence
of dense forest cover which is always an advantage when seeking to
observe wild animals and the presence of abundant grasslands which
elephants feed on.
The park also provides habitats for many other species of animals
other than elephants including species of 94 plants, 21 fish, 12
amphibians, 33 reptiles, 184 birds, 43 mammals and 135 butterflies.
The presence of rich biodiversity in the Udawalawe National Park is
an excellent example of an in-situ Conservation area. The park is rich
in biodiversity, meaning the diversity among species and genetic
variation within the same species and their interactions at all levels
and the differences of the environment they live.
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