Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Yala National Park has an extent of 97,880 hectares. It has the highest density of leopards in the world, which has made it a top attraction among tourist visiting the Country. Yala National Park was declared open to the public on February 25, 1938.

While recognizing the benefits of the growing tourism industry, we must address the concerns relating to poor regulation of scarce resources within our Country as well.

One such concern is the rapidly increasing hit-and-run vehicle kills in Yala National Park. Several animals including leopards have been found on the road killed by careless and reckless drivers of safari vehicles.

This petition aims to voice the opinions of all those who believe that these magnificent animals must be protected for our future generations and for the relevant authorities to enforce laws that will prevent such atrocities from taking place.

CONSERVATION

Our main aim is to protect the ecosystem within the National Park. We would like to create awareness and give more emphasis towards the endemic and endangered species that is homed within its boundaries. Our goal is to allow its inhabitants to roam its plains without fear of being threatened by the visitors of the park.

EDUCATION

The national park can be used as a tool to educate individuals of the importance of conservation and the role played its inhabitants to the delicate balance of our ecosystem. It needs to be source of inspiration to engage our local community to contribute towards preservation of our natural heritage.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND THE ECONOMY

The tourism industry in Sri Lanka has boomed in the recent years and plays an integral role in the country’s economy. Around 157,000 people visit Yala National park each year of which visitors of foreign nationality contributed to 30% of this.

Currently the local population rely on the income generated by the visitors of this park. Through our conservation project we do not want to cause any hindrance to their source of income. Instead, our aim is to maintain this and boost the economy of the community in a more sustainable manner within a framework of governance