Hambantota Botanic Garden, a new tourist attraction

By Dhaneshi Yatawara Following a tour in Hambantota

To mark the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 a Commonwealth Circle was set up in the newly opened Dry Zone Botanic Garden in Hambantota. Three presidents, seven vice presidents, four prime ministers and several foreign ministers representing heads of governments planted medicinal trees at the Hambantota Botanic Gardens forming the Commonwealth Circle at the centre of the Garden.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa opens the Botanic Garden

The entrance to the botanic garden

The garden was open to the public by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 14. The Commonwealth Circle is a landmark for this garden being the first botanic garden in Sri Lanka built in 130 years.

Bio-diversity

This Dry Zone Botanic Garden shows Sri Lanka's unique bio diversity.

The site of the new botanic garden, at Mirijjawila near Hambantota in Southern Sri Lanka, was covered with thorny shrubs and abandoned chena lands, when allocated for this purpose in 2006. "Developing a new botanic garden in Sri Lanka is a major undertaking. It takes years to develop and grow.

The new garden has to meet the many expectations and the needs, of a wide range of people for the new century," said Dr. Siril Wijesundara, Director General of the Department of Botanic Gardens.

"Many people ask whether a garden in a dry and arid area such as Mirijjawila could be set up. Some think that it is a futile exercise and waste of money. Others think that it is not a priority. We had all our gardens in the Dry Zone during the time of Sri lankan Kings. We migrated into wetter or more cooler areas. We are a nation who had gardens in the dry zone. It is nothing new," said Dr. Wijesundara.

Since it is located on the 'adi siye para' (the road with a 100 metre width) it is the miracle of adi siye para.

Conservation

The dry zone of Sri Lanka represents a substantial portion of our forest ecosystem, and much of it has been lost during the past decades. Tropical Dry Mixed Evergreen Forests and Tropical Thorn Scrub Forests compose a major part of Sri Lanka's forest eco system. It has been on the top two forest types that covers a larger part of our country. "There is also ample evidence of climate change in the area as a direct result of habitat losses. Human activity relies on a good climate and our dependency on dry zone habitat is clearly rationale for its conservation," said Dr. Wijesundara. Three water tanks Kohombagas wewa, Malitthangas wewa and demataththa wewa, are in the garden premises to preserve the moisture of the land.

"These tanks existed in this land and they were abandoned at the time construction work started," Dr. Wijesundara said.

"The benefits of conserving dry zone habitat and its distinctive vegetation are long term. The rich agro-biodiversity in the island's farming systems is facing many threats due to unplanned land use, pollution, fragmentation and alteration of farming methods. By conserving the genes the agrobiodiversity in the dry zone could be safeguarded," said Dr. Wijesundara.

Accordingly it is these plants that would care the drought resistant genetics. It would be a main source in researches for developing new agricultural crops to suit climate changes. Thus raises the dire need for ex situ conservation of such plants.

There are no models or standards to set up a dry zone botanic garden in the world, according to Dr. Wijesundara. "In the twenty first century there is no requirement to follow traditional or classical pattern," Dr. Wijesundara added explaining the landscape of the garden. "The few dry zone botanic gardens in the world, particularly in Australia and in North America are different from each other either. So there is no pattern, design or precedent to follow," he added.

Benefits

For the Botanic Garden Department this is an opportunity to define a space, a garden layout, landscape design and distinctive public amenity in a modern way.

A new public amenity will boost the local market and promote economic development. "A new public amenity creates direct and indirect economic benefits" said Dr. Wijesundara.

Southern Sri Lanka has been earmarked as a development zone for tourism, and a Botanic Garden will attract visitors. The new garden will not only support and encourage tourism it will also promote tourism related services such as accommodation, travel and product sales.

Floriculture has also been highlighted as an area of national policy priority and where worldwide growth is also marked significantly. According to Dr. Wijesundara, the long term strategic benefit of the garden lies in its ability to take plants conserved ex-situ and to promote the herbal and floriculture industries, where there is significant potential for growth internationally. "Both of these industries can be developed to meet the market potential as they hold strategic value and there are economic benefits to be gained in these areas especially with the operation of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport nearby," he added.