• What is Wilpattu? o Wilpattu (Willu-pattu) means ‘Land of Lakes’ and the Wilpattu Forest Complex is a land area of 528,200 acres and is the largest remaining forested land in Sri Lanka o This forest complex is made up of many separate forest reserves, namely: 1. Wilpattu National Park 2. Wilpattu North Sanctuary 3. Marichchikaddi – Karadikkuli Reserved Forest 4. Thabbova Sanctuary 5. Veerakkulichol Sanctuary 6. Eluwankulam Proposed Forest Reserve 7. Veppal Forest Reserve 8. Mavillu Forest Reserve 9. Vilatthaikulam Forest Reserve. • It’s important to note however, that wildlife aren’t aware of the administrative boundaries of Government departments and move based on ecological boundaries, so to them this forested area is one single forest land and their home. • Are the illegal settlements happening on protected forest land? o Yes, it’s happening on land which belongs to the purview of both Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Department and Department of Forest Conservation o The debate regarding illegal settlements, is in relation to a part of Wilpattu North Sanctuary and Kallaru Forest Reserve. • How much forest has been cleared so far? Sri Lanka has lost almost 4,000 acres of primary forest due to these illegal settlements. • What are the laws or legal agreements that are being breached by this deforestation for illegal settlements? 1. National Environmental Act 2. Forest Conservation Ordinance 3. Fauna & Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) 4. Antiquities Ordinance • What makes Wilpattu special? o It is a unique and rare eco-system: There are only a handful of the ‘Villu eco-systems’ in the world and out of those the only ‘Villus’ (wetland) where freshwater mixes with saltwater exists in Wilpattu. o It is RAMSAR listed: It was recognized as a wetland of international importance by the RAMSAR convention (The Convention on Wetlands): “Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Cluster (165,800 hectares, 08º32'27"N 080º10'01"E) encompasses all of Wilpattu National Park, declared in 1938. Some 205 water bodies, both natural and manmade, were identified within the boundary of the park. A unique feature is the numerous 'villus' which are natural, sand-rimmed water basins ranging between 10 to 160 hectares that are filled with rainwater. The varying salt content of the villus offer an ideal habitat for a wide range of resident and migrant wildlife species, including the endangered Asia Elephant Elephas maximus, the vulnerable Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) and the vulnerable freshwater crocodile Crocodylus palustris. Seagrass beds, mangroves, salt marshes, swamps and floodplain forests are also found and contribute to the area's rich biodiversity. Twenty-one endemic species of vertebrates have been recorded at the site, including the endangered Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus ssp. Kotiya) and the Ceylon Swallow (Hirundo hyperythra). The site once supported a thriving agricultural civilization, demonstrated by its 68 archaeologically important sites. Currently, communities in the southeastern and western areas rely on commercial and subsistence fisheries, while those in other areas depend upon agriculture. Invasive aquatic species, logging, slash and burn agriculture threaten the site...” (RAMSAR Report) o Essential wildlife habitat 1. No habitat means no wildlife. One of the very few places where you can spot Sri Lanka’s ‘Big 5’ is in the area around Wilpattu - Elephant, Sloth Bear, Leopard, Sperm Whale, Blue Whale. Consequently, all these animals are declared endangered by the IUCN. 2. According to the ‘Convention on Migratory Species’, Wilpattu is the first landing point for migratory birds, flying over the Indian subcontinent during the winter months. Habitat destruction in Wilpattu could alter this migratory behavior drastically. o It plays a major role in Sri Lanka’s weather and rain pattern: Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest forest and so the majority share of our remaining forest cover, which is only 16% of the total land area, is concentrated here. Forest cover is important to a country for many reasons: 1. Essential for a healthy eco-system which is essential for the survival of people 2. Essential for the protection of our ground water resources 3. Regulates the climate and local temperatures 4. Critical for the water cycle and rain 5. Purifies the air and produces the oxygen we breath o Hottest biodiversity hotspot The Western Ghats of southwestern India and Sri Lanka, are considered to be one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity. Putting further stress on this already threatened eco-system will push threatened species of flora and fauna into extinction. This area is home to 603 different species of flora out of which 33 are endemic to Sri Lanka - meaning once they are gone from Sri Lanka they are gone from the world! by Romesh Senewiratne-Alagaratnam