Kumana National opens for tourists
Chamikara WEERASINGHE
Kumana villu - natural swamp lake |
The Kumana National Park, Sri Lanka's best santuary for bird
watching, was re-opened last week after a prolonged closure.
The Park was closed due to LTTE terrorist problems from 1985. Located
in the the country's southern east corner, the Kumana park came to have
been affected by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. It was closed for
public view again from 2006 with the government launching its
humanitarian operations in the country's North and East to liberate the
country from clutches of terrorism.
With the Government liberating the country last year, the Environment
and Natural Resources Ministry is rapidly establishing its control in
the country's game parks. The Ministry opened Yala National Park in the
last year.
In search of migratory access and grazing rights |
Minister Champika Ranawaka said, they will have opened all the 20
national parks in the country by the first half of this year. He said,
clearing of land mines in Wilpattu has reached its final stages and the
Ministry will have opened the the Park by February.
"With the opening of the national parks , Sri Lanka's tourist
industry can rely on Eco tourism. This will directly influence the
country's economic development with locla community to derive direct
benefits There will be more business opportunities for investors," said
Minister Ranawaka.
The Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Kumana
National Park, which took place in Okanda. Minister of Natural Resources
Indika Bandara, Wildlife Conservation Deparment Director General
W.A.D.Wijesuriya, Park Wardens of Wildlife sanctuaries, Principals and
children from nearby village schools in Okanda area, were present on
this occasion.
It was interesting to see that a group of indigenous people (Vannile
Aththo) have come to greet Minister Champika Ranawaka and the Willdlife
authorities on this occasion. The leader of the Wannila Aththo was also
present. They invoked blessings of their Forest God Kalu Bandara on
Minister Ranawaka whom they called the minister Maha Hura and chanted
religious versus in harmony that lasted for ten minutes. An exchange of
gifts took place between the minister and the Wannila Attho after after
the ritual.
According to legend, babies are brought to their parents by
a stork |
The sky was whiter than usual as the the brightly shining sun
surveyed the plains of Kumana that Saturday. Yet there were short spells
of rains in spite of the sun's bright dominance in the sky.
rains sometimes cover the jeep road of the Park that leads to its
bird sanctuary on a 200 hectare natural swamp lake. This is one of the
most significant features of the park called Kumana villu. It is fed by
Kumbukkan estuary through a half a mile long narrow channel.
Although our crew could not see much bird population at this mangrove
swamp this time of the year, a Park Warden said that most birds had
flown away because there have been too much disturbance in the forest
with the noise of too many safari jeeps plying down the area. Most water
birds come to nest in the swamp in May and June.
Environment and Natural Resources Minister
Champika Ranawaka |
A hawk-eyed traveller always gets manges to get a glimpse of a very
rare black-necked stork or a Lesser Adjutant in this areas.
The prolific birdlife in Kumana sancturay include Eurasian Spoonbill
and Great Thick-knee. Kumana villu is occasionally inundated with sea
water.
Besides these migratory bird species, the park is home for birds such
as pelicans, painted storks, spoonbills, white ibis, herons, egrets and
little cormorants. They were to be seen along the riverine banks of the
sanctuary with 20 lagoons and tanks.
Tens of thousands of birds migrate to the sanctuary during April and
July. There are about 255 speciebird species to have been dected in
Kumana, among them waders belonging to families of Scolopacidae and
Charadriidae. These birds visit the sanctuary with waterfowl, Pintail
Snipes, migrating after flying 9,000 kilometers to 11,000 kilometres
from Siberia.
The park are of Kumana is 18,196 hectares with wetlands covering 626
hectares.
River valley civilizations
Indigenous people of Sri Lanka (Wannile Aththo) meet
Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka at the Kumana
National Park opening. |
Vegetation in Kumana consists mainly of mangrove trees, kumbuk trees
and karan fern. The streams Alakola Ara and other streams flow to the
Kumbukkan oya. Smaller streams such as the Girikula and Bagura Ara flow
to the lagoons. The lagoons are less than two meters deep. The lagoons
include Bagura Kalapuwa (154 ha), Andarakala, Itikala and Yakkala (272
ha). Lying within the low country dry zone the mean temperature of the
Park is 27.30C and the average annual rainfall is around 1300 mm.
The records of Sri Lanka's ancient river valley civilizations are
also found in the Panama area of Kumana. Rock inscriptions belonging to
the second and first centuries B.C., providing substantial evidence in
this concern, have been found in this region . Kumana was first declared
a bird sanctuary in 1938. Among the bird species which migrate here in
large flocks are, Asian Openbill, Indian Pond Heron, Black-crowned Night
Heron, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Spot-billed Pelican, Indian
Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Common Moorhen, Watercock, Glossy Ibis,
White-breasted Waterhen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Black-winged Stilt,
Lesser Whistling Duck and Little Grebe.
A train of tail feathers. Oh but strictly the peacock is
male. Female is peahen. Both are peafowl. |
The rare migratory birds to be found in Kumana swamp Yellow-footed
Green Pigeon, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Malabar Trogon, Red-faced
Malkoha, and Sirkeer Malkoha. Pacific Golden Plover, Greater Sand
Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Little Ringed
Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Red shank, Common
Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Common Snipe, and Pintail
Snipe.
As pointed out by Minister Ranawaka, much attention is now focused on
developing the Kumana National Park with the pland under way by the
government to to develop the Eastern Province.
The departments, Wildlife and Forest Conservation , Sri Lanka
Gelogical and Minies Bureau and Central Environment Authority have
established their operations in the the districts of the Eastern
Province.
Just monitoring ... |
The Wildlife Department has cleared the titles of lands belonging to
their forest lands. Minister Ranwaka said, no one will be allowed to use
the Forest lands owned by the state for any political reasons in the
futures.
With the opening of the Yala National Park, the wildlife Department
was able to increase its revenue considerably. "We earned Rs. 3,000
million last year after opening the Yala sanctuary," he said.
The animals have no one but only Wildlife and Forest Conservation
Departments to look upto their protection. The moves are under way to
protect the country's forests and wildlife to make the country a main
attraction of Eco-tourism , the minister said and added this is
envisioned bring immediate benefits to local community , investors and
the business community.
Kumana river valley civilization. It was belived that there
was a village among these coconut trees and people lived
here 100,000 years ago. |
Water buffalo habitat. Pictures by Sudam Gunasingha |
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