Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019 - 2024 APPROVAL PAGE The Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019-2024 is developed and approved as per the conditions laid out under the Section 2A of the Fauna & Flora Protection Ordinance. Recommended by: M.G.C. Sooriyabandara Director General Department of Wildlife Conservation Sri Lanka. Approved by: S. Hettiarachchi Secretary Ministry of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs Sri Lanka. I Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019 - 2024 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT There are many people who deserve thanks and appreciation for their invaluable contribution in the preparation of the Management Plan, indeed too many to mention. However, we gratefully acknowledge all experts and Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officials who provided their professional inputs and many months of hard work. Mrs. Eeasha Nanayakkara, Head/Community Outreach at the DWC and the Coordinator of the project, Mr. W. A. Sarath, Assistant Director, Anuradhapura and Mannar, the Park Warden Mr. Chamath Lakshman and his team at WNP, Mr. W.M.K.S. Chandrarathne, Assistant Director Puttalam District, Mr. Daniel Schreiber, Project Manager, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Dr. Kalinga Padmalal, Biodiversity Expert, Mr. D.P. Munaweera, Rural Development Expert, Mrs. Subajini Rajan, Communications Expert, Dr. Nishanthi Perera, Coastal, Marine and Tourism Expert, Mr. Chamara Hettiarachchi, Geographic Information System Expert, Dr. W.S. Wijeyamohan, Elephant and Electric Fencing Expert, Ms. Inoka Priyardarshani, Social and Conflict Resolution Expert, and Mr. Oliver Nelson, Team Leader. We would also like to thank former team leaders Dr. Wilfred Butzler and Dr. Neil Stronach, and former DWC Assistant Director of Anuradhapura, Mr. W.S. Weragama for their valuable contribution. We would also like to thank the staff of the United Nations Development Programme Environmental Sensitive Area Project for drafting the Strategic Management Framework for Wilpattu Protected Area Complex. III Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019 - 2024 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Wilpattu National Park (WNP) is Sri Lanka’s largest protected area covering an area of 131,678 ha. It enjoys high biodiversity value, unspoilt coastline to the West, protected forest to the North and sanctuaries to the North and South forming a single flourishing ecosystem facilitating the movement of larger mammals. WNP and adjacent shallow marine areas also enjoy the status of a Ramsar site due to its unique villu and other wetland ecosystems. Wilpattu has been under various forms of protection for over 100 years. Between 1905 and 1938 it consisted of a Game Sanctuary and Sportsman Reserves concluding in 1938 to its present-day designation as a National Park. Wilpattu has a historical and cultural heritage going back to the earliest habitation by humans almost 2,500 years ago. This is evident by its archaeological sites and artifacts. Today, around 34,000 people live in the park’s periphery and derive their livelihoods from a variety of occupations, mainly subsistence level agriculture. The area has been identified by the Government of Sri Lanka as a priority region for nature conservation and rural development with a high potential for increased tourism. WNP faces many threats and challenges, namely; illegal land encroachment, poaching of wildlife and plants, land grabbing, damage to archaeological sites, spread of invasive species, degradation of the marine environment, human-wildlife conflict and climate change related droughts and floods. Large areas of forests adjoining the park had been cleared due to expansion of human settlements, especially in southern and eastern boundaries as well as some parts of the northern boundary. There is also a general lack of coordination between competing Government departments each with their own agenda leading to ad hoc interventions within the influence zone. Having been closed for almost 30 years during the war when much of the parks infrastructure and management ability was lost, WNP was reopened in 2010 and is now ready to regain its status as an important conservation area and a premier visitor destination. Over the past eight years the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has made great strides in improving park management and administration and has received significant support from national and international agencies. However, there has been no management plan for WNP to follow, until now. The creation of the Management Plan will accelerate increased support as well as improved management of the park. To this end, in 2017 began the Management of WNP and Influence Zone Project. The term Influence Zone includes adjacent protected areas and other land use designations such as villages that have an influence on the park. The project was implemented under the authority of the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs as Executing Agency (MNPEA) with the Ministry of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs (MTDWCRA) as the implementation partner at the technical level, while the executive responsibility rested with the DWC. The German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provided financial support with implementation by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH who contracted GOPA Worldwide Consultants to work with DWC in implementation of the project. GOPA Worldwide Consultants assembled a team of both full time and short-term international and national consultants all experts within their field. Since April 2017 the team has compiled existing physical, biological and social data in which to make management recommendations and are presented in Part 1 Description of this Management Plan. Extensive consultations V Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019 - 2024 Wilpattu National Park Management Plan 2019 - 2024 have been done with relevant Government Departments and Agencies, Non-Government Programme 4: The Outreach Programme is an essential park management function that Organisations, Community Based Organisations, individuals and community members as well provides the foundation for engagement with communities and other organisations which as reviews of academic papers. All this was undertaken in close cooperation and coordination is essential to reach the management goal.The goal of this programme is: with DWC and WNP staff. The WNP Management Plan 2019 – 2024 is the first phase and output “To influence the activities and opinion of the people and agencies within the Influence of this project and will form the basis for implementation and coordination with national projects Zone such that they benefit both biodiversity and the quality of life of the people operating within the area. themselves” The Wilpattu National Park Management Plan has multiple goals, including maintaining The intended impact of implementation of this Management Plan is: and managing the park, while considering the influences from the periphery as an unspoilt representation of Sri Lanka biodiversity while reversing the trend of habitat and biodiversity Ecosystems will be protected and their processes maintained, to preserve the ecological loss. The Management Plan promotes the well-being of local communities as well as wildlife by character, as specified under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, the Ramsar reducing conflict and resource dependency while supporting non-destructive livelihood practices Convention, Convention on Migratory Species and Convention on Biodiversity and the and behaviour. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Habitats and species will be protected and monitored in such a way that management The vision of WNP is inspirational and strives towards: programmes can be applied to their benefit where necessary. “WNP will conserve its biodiversity and cultural heritage for present and future generations” Provision as a refuge for wildlife in a broader landscape that has lost this capacity. The Management Plan has been presented in a commonly used format with a logical Alien invasive species will be controlled or eradicated. presentation and ease of use. It is divided into two Parts: Scientific research and monitoring of ecology and species are initiated. Part 1: A description of the present physical, biological, administrative and social Creation and maintenance of further management zones in the Influence Zone that condition of the park and its Influence Zone. support the movement of wildlife within WNP and associated protected areas. Part 2: Prescribed management interventions for four programmes with objectives and Historical and cultural importance of the WNP and its Influence Zone are protected. actions necessary to meet the present and future needs and place these into context Tourism activities will be upgraded while not compromising biodiversity conservation or Annexes: Contains background information and maps. aesthetic principles. Within Part 2: Prescribed Management there are four Programmes: Recreation opportunities in the Influence Zone will complement those in the national park. Information will be made available to local communities and to visitors to highlight the Programme 1: The Park Operations Programme covers many management functions biodiversity values of the WNP and Influence Zone. such as administration, field operations, infrastructure and human resources Park administration, law enforcement and general operational capacity will be enhanced development.