Location: Southern and Uva Provinces Map
Area: 97,881 ha
Yala National Park is located in Southern and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. Yala National Park is the most visited park in the country and second largest reserve by total area. Nature reserve covers an area of 97,881 ha. Day pass to the nature reserve costs 3,500 rupees to enter. Safari to the park will allow to see herds of antelopes, elephants, leopards and other animals frequent in the area. It costs about 6,000 rupees for half day tour and about 10,000 rupees for a full day tour through the park. It is one of those locations where you probably need help from local services if you don't want to get into trouble with local animals.
The Yala area is mainly composed of Precambrian
metamorphic rock and is classified into two series: Vijayan series and
highland series. The predominant soil types are red-brown and
non-calcium brown. Located in the lowest peneplain of Sri Lanka,
topographically it is a flat, moderately undulating region, with
altitudes ranging from thirty meters on the coast to one hundred or one
hundred and twenty-five inland. On the other hand, the climate is
semi-arid and the average annual precipitation is 900 millimeters in the
south to 1,300 in the north, with a dry season from May to September and
a temperature that ranges from 26.4 °C in January to 30 °C in April.
Likewise, the wind speed varies from fifteen kilometers per hour
during the northeast monsoon and twenty-three kilometers per hour in the
southwest monsoon. Many rivers and streams flow in a southeasterly
direction and originate from the adjacent highlands of Hambantota
district or the central and Uva hills. The Kumbukkan Oya rivers in the
northeast and Menik and their tributaries in the west flow through the
park and provide a source of water for animals during drought. These
streams show fluctuations in their runoff between the dry and rainy
seasons. In this sense, the Kumbukkan Oya carries seven times more water
during the rainy season. Moreover, there are some lakes in the area,
such as Buthuwa and Udapothana.
The national park is made up of five blocks. The first
of these was established on March 1, 1938, designated as Yala Strict
Nature Reserve. Likewise, what was later Block II became the Yala
national park. Five years later, in an attempt to increase the park's
popularity, the name was changed from Yala to Ruhuna. After the
Department of Wildlife Conservation took responsibility for its
management in 1949, it integrated the reserve into the park in 1954. New
blocks were later added: Block III on April 28, 1967, Block IV on April
9 October 1969 and Block V on October 5, 1973. The total sum of the
elements that make it up is 97,878 hectares and, of them, the majority
is from Block III, with 40,774.2
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The park was located in the direction followed by the tsunami caused by
the Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004, which impacted the
country approximately ninety minutes after its generation. Although
serious damage caused by the phenomenon was located, mainly related to
structural and vegetation damage. In addition, about 250 people died.
It was reported that the tsunami reached about six meters high and
reached inland through the mouths of rivers in the coastal dunes.
In two places in the park, the damage occurred up to 1.3 kilometers
from the coast and the affected grasslands, forests and wetlands
comprised an area of 5,000 hectares. On the other hand, approximately
60% of the coastal region was modified. One study analyzed the behavior
of two elephants with tracking collars and found that their movements
were consistent with behaviors caused by immediate signals generated by
the tsunami and not, as he came to attribute, by a "sixth sense."
The variety of ecosystems in the park encompasses moist monsoon,
dry monsoon, semi-deciduous and thorn forests, as well as
grasslands, swamps, wetlands and sandy beaches. The largest area of
Block I is under forest cover and, for its part, another proportion
is made up mainly of grasslands. The latter can be found next to the
sea, while the forested area is limited to the surroundings of the
Menik River. Other types of habitats in that block are coastal
lagoons, mangroves — whose vegetation is mainly composed of
Rhizophora mucronata and, to a lesser extent, species of Avicennia
and Aegiceras — and shifting agriculture lands.
In the second
block, whose flora is similar to that of the first, Pitiya
grasslands abound, as seen in the Yalawela, once a fertile rice
field. The one hundred hectares of mangroves in that area are
located around the estuary of the Menik River. The lagoons of
Pilinnawa, Mahapothana and Pahalapothana are also located. The
common plants in the place are: Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia
caseolaris, Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia species, Acanthus
ilicifolius, Excoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa and, in the
sand, Crinum zeylanicum.
In the remaining three blocks the
forests are more widespread. In this sense, the tree canopy is
mainly composed of the species Drypetes sepiaria and Manilkara
hexandra. Some other trees present are: Chloroxylon swietenia,
Bauhinia racemosa, Salvadora persica and, to a lesser extent, Cassia
fistula, Azadirachta indica and Feronia limonia. There are also
shrubs, such as Dichrostachys cinerea, Randia dumetorum, Gymnosporia
emarginata, Carissa spinarum and species of the genus Ziziphus.
Oryza species are found in the areas that are seasonally flooded in
Block II. For their part, there are plants such as Glenniea unijuga
and Sansevieria zeylanica that are endemic to wetlands, while
others, such as Asparagus racemosus and Salacia reticulata, are
medicinal.
In the park, 14 species of amphibians, 30 of reptiles, 31 of fish, 31
of mammals and 151 of birds have been recorded. Up to 90% of the fish
population is made up of the Mozambique tilapia, an exotic species, and
others such as Garra ceylonensis and Esomus thermoicos. Likewise, in
coastal lagoons there are a variety of brachyurans and shrimp. Among the
reptiles, the marsh crocodile, the marine crocodile and the Bengal
monitor stand out, as well as the Indian cobra and Russell's viper.
There are also several turtles, for which the coastal region is a
nesting area: green turtle, olive ridley turtle and leatherback turtle.
On the other hand, a study found that this area has one of the
largest population densities of the Ceylon leopard, a subspecies of
leopard native to Sri Lanka, in the region and the world—mainly in the
central and coastal sectors of the park. ; The variations in that
density are related to the availability of prey. Likewise, it is a
wildlife conservation area in the country that shows a high
concentration of Asian elephants. The presence of up to 380 specimens
has been estimated in an area of about 300 square kilometers. In this
sense, a study found that Block I of the park "is one of the best areas
that support viable populations" of these animals.
Along with the
leopard and the elephant, there are also other threatened species, such
as the big-mouthed bear and the water buffalo. Other animals found at
the site are: wild boar, spotted deer, sambar and common jackal. It is
also one of the important areas for bird conservation in Sri Lanka. The
birdlife is made up of birds of prey - short-toed eagle, eastern eagle
-, waterfowl - pelicans, lesser flamingo, spoonbill, Indian tantalum,
Asiatic jabiru, gray heron, purple heron, Nycticorax and Egretta, common
swarm, Asian godwit -, migratory birds that visit the coastal lagoons -
mallard duck, waggon teal, white-winged vent, curlew, whimbrel,
turnstone, godwit - and live with the residents - dendrocigninos,
Malabar lapwing, Indian lapwing, Indian thick-billed curlew - among
others, such as: vinago bicinta, bucerotids, muscicapids, Asian
long-tailed monarch, oriolids and capitonids.
Traces of an agricultural and hydraulic civilization dating back to
the 5th century BC have been found. Likewise, inside the park is
Sithulpauuwa, a monastic settlement, which is believed to have been home
to 12,000 people and became a pilgrimage center in the country. It is
the most visited park in Sri Lanka - in In 2002, it received about
156,867 tourists—1 and about 30% of the visitors are foreigners, mainly
Europeans.In this sense, in the first months of 2009, this site received
an income of 26 million rupees. Tourism is mainly concentrated in Block
I, although there are also camping sites in blocks II and III. On the
other hand, between September and mid-October the place is closed due to
drought conditions. There is also a small museum.
According to a
study, there are two types of tourists who visit the park: pilgrims and
those interested in wildlife. Of the latter, most take a midday safari.
They must also buy tickets that vary from 0.25 dollars for local
visitors to 12 dollars for foreigners. In the case of pilgrims, they go
to sites such as Kataragama, Palatupana, Adam's Peak and Sithulpauuwa,
which are sacred places for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. These enter
without having to buy a ticket or be accompanied by a guide. Around
400,000 pilgrims visit Yala each year. The place has been the target of
terrorist attacks. On October 17, 2007, members of the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam attacked a military detachment in the park, killing six
soldiers and one more involved in a landmine explosion. Later, on July
11, 2007, In 2008, four people died in another attack by the same group
on a bus transporting pilgrims to Kataragama.
The main threats faced are poaching, exploitation of precious stones
- mainly in the areas of the Menik and Kumbukkan Oya rivers -, tree
felling, livestock entry and agricultural invasion. The latter occurs in
Blocks III and IV, where shifting agriculture for grazing in the dry
season affects the park boundaries. Likewise, some keepers have died in
confrontations with poachers. Meanwhile, a grove of Sonneratia
caseolaris in the Menik River estuary suffers from acronecrosis. Other
problems related to conservation are tobacco cultivation and atmospheric
and acoustic pollution resulting from uncontrolled tourism, as well as
the threat to native plants represented by the growth of invasive exotic
species such as Lantana camara, Opuntia dillenii and Chromolaena
odorata.
In treeless portions hidden within the forest, ganja is
grown. In addition, fishermen in Patanangala hunt and disturb the fauna.
Sometimes they pollute the beaches with debris, place traps inland and
use fishing nets to catch turtles, whose nests they also dig up. Without
weeding—practiced until the 1950s—the transformation of inland
grasslands into scrub forests is inevitable. On the other hand, vehicles
used in tourism can harass animals, especially in places where the
arrival of people is greater, such as areas visited by pilgrims. The
Department of Wildlife Conservation has taken some measures to address
these problems, such as grazing land management, conservation of water
ponds and eradication of invasive species. An electric fence was also
built forty kilometers away to prevent elephants from approaching nearby
villages.