Protection of biological diversity in Sri Lanka

This evaluation finds that while the project was successful in establishing 7 protected habitats, equivalent to 30% of Sri Lanka"s protected lands and nearly 45% of the Mahaweli Basin, the DWLC"s capacity to sustain these parks is uncertain. In the Madura Oya National Park, for example, the DWLC has made little active effort to promote regeneration of flora and fauna degraded by previous activities, devoting most of its energy to discouraging illegal encroachment; it has also (with project support) inappropriately designated the park as a recreational tourist area. Moreover, Sri Lanka"s environmental agencies have been uncoordinated in their conservation efforts, a national conservation policy has yet to be enacted, and the Wildlife Trust, an NGO created with project funds to finance research, public education, and professional training in forest habitat protection, has never acquired complete independence from the Sri Lankan government. Although the socioeconomic impact of resettling farmers outside the parks has generally been positive, the resettlement areas are too small to sustain more than one farming generation. Also, there has been a negative impact on households bordering the parks, which have only minimal infrastructure and services and are subject to encroachment from roaming wildlife. In fact, the small size, degraded conditions, and isolation of Sri Lanka"s newly designated protected areas increase the likelihood that many prized species, in particular the Asian wild elephant, predator cats, migratory ungulates, and some birds, will become extinct. Lessons learned include the need for fewer but larger contiguous protected areas; a flexible national land-use policy calling for either tourism, recreation, or no entry based on the regeneration status of each park; interagency governmental coordination; and the creation of independent environmental trusts or foundations.