Sri Lanka Tourism Blog

By Tahnee Hopman, Pic by Vimukthi Weeratunga, Dilup Chandranimal & Naalin Perera (IUCN)

How much of Sri Lanka’s celebrated wildlife will we have left 25 years hence? Today, a herd of wild elephants coming to drink at a tank is a common sight in Yala, Minneriya and many such places in the island. However, if the dangerous trend of encroaching on the natural habitat of these animals continues, the next few decades could see some of Sri Lanka’s most majestic animal species becoming extinct.

The elephant (Elaphas maximus) is listed as ‘vulnerable’ and it comes as no surprise given that the death of a wild elephant is reported every two days. Also in the ‘vulnerable’ category are the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus) and the wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee), while the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is listed as ‘endangered’. One in every two species of mammals and amphibians, one in every three species of reptiles and freshwater fish and one in every five species of birds in the country are currently facing the risk of becoming threatened in the wild.

The alarming statistics are revealed in the 2007 National Red List of Threatened Plants and Animals in Sri Lanka compiled by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), in collaboration with the Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The list was prepared by gathering information on the indigenous flora and fauna of Sri Lanka and assessing their conservation status, taking into consideration the Global Red List criteria developed by the IUCN.

“The Red List is both an important and powerful tool in the conservation cause,” says Dr. Channa Bambaradeniya, Coordinator, Regional Species Conservation Program, IUCN Asia. “It is a good indicator of the current status of wildlife, and it focuses our attention on the seriousness of the threats to the unique and rich biodiversity of Sri Lanka.”

Species were considered as nationally threatened when evaluated as one of the following: Critically Endangered (CE), Endangered (EN), or Vulnerable (VU). The state of indigenous species in Sri Lanka was determined by the rate of population reduction, restricted geographic range, small population size and very small or restricted population. Most species were evaluated using their geographic range (Extent of Occurrence-EOO and Area of Occupancy-AOO).

The National Red List was presented to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka on Wednesday. Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister stressed the importance of a concerted effort on the part of every citizen. “The National Red List is without doubt the most important environmental document; it sounds alarm bells as to what is happening, and tells us that we all need to act now, to save what is left of our precious wildlife,” he said.

The process of compiling the National Red List began in 2004. Facts were assembled selecting certain taxonomic groups for evaluation. Species information was then fed to a digital database, and the distribution of each species plotted in a 5×5 km² grid map using GIS technology. The result is what is considered the most comprehensive document concerning the environment and its conservation.

“The previous National Red List was compiled in 1999, and the findings of the current assessments suggest that although steps have been taken to mitigate the threat of extinction, this effort is far from enough,” explained Ms. Shiranee Yasaratne, the country representative of IUCN.

Sadly, the animals on the previous Red List are in much the same or in a worse situation than they were eight years ago. Climate change induced by rapid global warming, deforestation and pollution are some of the main threats to wildlife. Poaching is also a serious threat, and although steps have been taken towards restricting this activity, it continues regardless.

Aquatic habitats and endemic fish species are in grave danger due to excessive use of agrochemicals- Sri Lanka ranks high among the top ten countries that make use of these chemicals. Deforestation, mining of minerals, improper land use etc have led to heavy siltation in streams and rivers affecting aquatic life.

According to the National Red List, 223 (33%) inland indigenous vertebrate species are classified as nationally threatened. Of these, as many as 138 species (62%) are endemic to Sri Lanka. Local extinction has already been happening due to urbanization. 84 vertebrates and 74 invertebrates have been classed in the near threatened category. Many of these reside in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Only 4% of the wet zone is forested, and these forests too are severely fragmented.

The implication of habitat loss, particularly in the wet zone, is that 21 species of endemic amphibians and 72 species of plants have become extinct over the past two centuries. In the past fifty years, we have lost approximately half of the country’s total forested area. As of now, only 23.5% of the island’s forests remain. The loss of forests averages as much as 30,000 hectares per year.

Plant life in Sri Lanka too faces similar dangers. Of the island’s total number of plant species (1099) evaluated, a staggering 61% are threatened. Of these, a further 61% are endemic to Sri Lanka. Thirty-seven percent of these endemic plants are in the critically endangered category.

Unfortunately, the full implications of the extinction threat are unknown. In the case of plant life, only 30% of indigenous plants have been evaluated due to problems related to the lack of access to recent taxonomic publications and inconsistency in published data to name a few. Thus, some species have been put into the Data Deficient category. It is possible that many of these species are already threatened and in need of conservation action.

The 2007 National Red List, along with the new digital database launched by IUCN should be of some help to conservationists. With these tools, conservation planning and monitoring of protected areas, the creation of more public awareness and finally minimizing the threat of extinction could be achieved. Much remains to be done, both by the public and environmental organizations.

In a bid to enlarge the size of wildlife reserves, efforts are being made to regenerate forests and link protected areas together by way of what are known as habitat corridors. “So far, these steps have been undertaken on a small scale, but even a small effort is a significant contribution to this cause,” said Dr. Bambaradeniya.

We all want the promise of a better tomorrow. For a large section of our wildlife, there could well be no tomorrow. Children in the 2020’s may have to look up encyclopedias and visit museums to see animals that we are familiar with today. It is time to put things right. Not too far from now, it could be too late.

United States Department of State (DOS) today updated its travel advisory on Sri Lanka specifically warning Americans against travel to northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka. DOS warned the Americans against traveling particularly to LTTE-controlled areas in the north saying they may pose severe hazards.

The travel warning said despite the Sri Lankan government’s assurance that it has effectively controlled the eastern part of the country since July 2007 the security is not yet guaranteed.

It said that although other parts of the country are mostly safe, the LTTE has conducted attacks outside of the northern and eastern areas citing recent LTTE air attacks on the Katunayake Air Force Base and the oil facilities in Colombo and the October 15th attack on Army camp in the Yala National Park in southeastern Sri Lanka.

The advisory restricts official travel by U.S. Government personnel to areas north of a line following the highway from Puttalam through Anuradhapura to Polonaruwa, Bibile, and Pottuvil in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka and prohibits unofficial travel.

Initial international media reports had not disturbed visitor arrivals to the country in the wake of the brush on a military post by rebels in the suburbs of the Yala Wildlife Park.

“The impact will mainly depend on how the media is going to report….and it has not been picked up…so there’s no major impact,” Sri Lanka Tourist Board Additional Marketing Director Dilip Mudadeniya told the Daily Financial Times yesterday.

He noted that right now they were capable of having attracted a big group of 300 people to participate in the World’s Women’s Only Adventure Race that will be a huge boost to the Sri Lanka Tourism. This is a clear indication of their confidence in the country, he said.

The Tourist Board had just concluded a PR tender in the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, Netherlands, South India and Israel. This had received a huge response, Mudadeniya said adding that “this shows confidence in the destination”.

Sri Lanka is expecting the upcoming season will give the industry a kick-start to keep the tourist arrivals on the high with many bookings taking place already. (SD)

Text by Malaka Rodrigo, Pix by Ashwini Jayatilake & Mevan Piyasena.
“When first I came to my new jungle home at the end of July, there had been no rain in this whole Ruhunu area. The good earth was parched and cracked and hard as concrete; trees, bushes, shrubs and grass all burnt a pale sienna brown. I was able to see far into scrub jungle as there was hardly any foliage, and dead leaves crunched under my foot as I walked. Across a wide salt pan or lewaya, I could have driven a high powered car with no fear of sinking into the hard crust of salt.”

This is how Douglas Raffel unveiled the “The Great Thirst” experienced during the drought in the first chapter of his book, “In Ruhunu Jungles”.

Yala, the country’s most popular National Park is traditionally closed to visitors from September 1 to mid-October during the height of the drought. This is to avoid any disturbance to already wearied animals by hundreds of visitors and moving vehicles.

This year, however the closure has been reduced by two weeks and in response to requests from the travel industry, Yala Park will open on October 16. This decision was taken by the Department of Wildlife Conservation after studying the ground conditions, considering the good rainfall enjoyed during the period.

As the most popular park in Sri Lanka, Yala has become a hot-spot of Sri Lanka’s tourism. “This year the park received pre-monsoon rain and the drought is not severe. In addition the measures we have taken last year to sustain water such as deepening water holes have also assisted to keep the water. Considering the request from the tourism sector and carefully assessing the ground situation, the Department of Wildlife Conservation decided to shift the closing date by 14 days,” park warden W.S.Weragama said.

Located in the arid zone, the Yala Park gets rain mainly from the North-east monsoon, from November to January. The inter-monsoon rains in March/April and September also provide water, but are unpredictable. The dry season usually starts in June and continues until September/mid October.

At this time temperatures can rise to a high of 37oC, although the mean annual temperature is 27 oC. Average rainfall is 1281mm, but it is lower in Block III, IV, V and the Strict Nature Reserve which receives from 550-775 mm. The drought is most severe during the pre-monsoonal months of September/October.

The need of a closure was first suggested in 1950 by the Game and Fauna Protection Society (presently Wildlife and Nature Protection Society – WNPS). It was initially for a period of two months and later reduced to 45 days.

Drought is a blessing

“Drought is a blessing of nature,” states Childers Jayawardene, who was Yala Park warden in the late ’70s. “Drought eliminates the sick and weak animals. Next year after the drought, what we have is a healthier animal population. Drought is nature’s way of maintaining life.” Hence, the mechanisms to minimize the damages of the drought should be carefully considered, says Mr. Jayawardene.

As vividly described by Raffel, the park loses its greenery completely during the drought. The water-holes start to disappear and animals congregate around the remaining water sources. Lack of food sources and thirst usually make the animals restless and they sometimes fight for the scarce resources.

Water holes – the lifeline

“Everywhere were the signs of a great thirst and of a great hunger too, for with no green leaves and grass, their hunger was as great as their thirst. Visiting two well known water-holes, I found where there had once been water, the sun-baked footprints of wild animals and birds in the hard ground. In a river twenty-two miles away was now the closest water, and there too only at certain pools. Crocodiles had left the river and roamed far. Lullas (a fish) had dug themselves into the earth till the rains came. Everywhere was the desolation of the drought,” Raffel wrote, describing the drought in, “In Ruhunu Jungles”.

Menik Ganga is indeed the lifeline during a bad drought. There are also several natural and man-made tanks such Gonagala, Mandagala, Uraniya, Mahaseelawa, Heenwewa, Korawakka that are the major water sources, until they completely dry up. Several natural rock pools known as kema also hold water even during the height of the drought. Welmakkema, Jamburagala, Padikema, Kimbulagala, Walaskema are some of them.

These rock water pools are sometimes filled by park management during severe droughts by placing large concrete basins at the bottoms and creating artificial ponds.

During the critical time, when the water gets completely exhausted, water bowsers are sent to fill them up once in two days and animals are now used to waiting eagerly for the browser to arrive. This initiative was also supported by other organizations and those in the area.

Poaching during the drought

Drought is the easiest period to hunt game. Hunters only need to wait at a hideout till the thirsty animals emerge. Several years ago, during one of the worst droughts, it was revealed that poachers would dig holes and place bags of water mixed with poison which was drunk by animals like the Spotted Deer, Sambhur and Wild Boar who then suffered an agonizing death.

The park management has now strengthened anti-poaching activities during the drought. Mobile units are sent to nab illegal entrants and small camps are set up in strategic places to deter poachers. The closure of the park frees up additional manpower for these efforts.

Animals’ response to the drought

Elephants who remain on high ground around Jamburagala during the wet season, come down to the plains during the dry season. As the drought sets in, elephants again start moving away from the coastal belt – some toward the perennial waters of Menik ganga and Blocks II and III, while other herds move to Meynert wewa, Heenwewa, Katagamuwa and even to settlements outside the park. With the rains in November-December, they return to the coastal belt. But deepening of tanks and managing of water sources during the drought have altered some of these migratory patterns, with animals staying inside the park itself.

Elephants are also good at finding water. They can sense the water beneath a dried-up riverbed and have the strength to dig the sand in search of water. Other animals follow them to get this rare fresh water source.

Some people believe Yala should not be closed as most of the other parks are not, even during drought periods. But Yala has a unique climatic and hydrologic condition and the welfare of wildlife during the drought should be the key in taking the decision. On the other hand, simply closing it on a given date also does no good. The decision to open/close the park should hinge on this delicate balance of the welfare of its animals and of the dependents.

Soon, the drought will be over and the park will be open to visitors. This is how Raffel saw the rebirth of the “Ruhunu Jungles” after the drought.

“On one night I woke to the sound of rain pattering on the roof noisily. The rain was pouring down on us at last! ……As though by magic, a fresh green mantle covers the khaki and brown jungle of yesterday. Transparent scrub has become thick jungle through which you cannot see. Already flowers adorn each bush. Birds keep chasing each other about and I have seen the foundation stones of several nests. It is almost unbelievable that all this could happen in four days.”