The German Government has extended financial assistance worth 8 million Euros for the implementation of a 7-year project titled “Supporting Wilpattu National Park and influencing Zone Management in Sri Lanka”.
The Project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is being successfully implemented with the cooperation of the Wildlife Conservation Ministry and the Wildlife Conservation Department.
The activities include enhancing the Park’s infra-structure, supporting inter-agency coordination, better patrolling against poaching, securing and rehabilitating habitats and the control of invasive species.
The project consists of four fields of activity namely “improving the management capacity in technical and specialist terms”, “improving conditions for the more resource-friendly use and conservation of marine resource in the national park’s influence zone”, “better access to resource friendly income generation for the local population” and “raising environmental awareness and promoting peaceful coexistence”.
The Wildlife Conservation Department staff in Kalpitiya and Wilpattu is to undergo training for the long term surveillance of marine resources. Under the project, tourism service providers will be trained on responsible dolphin and whale tourism.
Water purification systems have been set up in four selected villages to address the growing issue of chronic Kidney disease affecting families around Wilpattu. Also the Park’s management operational procedures were improved by providing patrol boats, motorcycles, GPS Tracking devices, cameras etc. Apart from this, the Park Bungalows and stations have been equipped with solar PV systems.
The Wilpattu National Park located in the northwest of the country encompasses about 130,000 hectares. It is among the country’s largest and oldest national Parks. This National Park is well known for its leopard population.
