Environmental changes in SL

It's been less than 10 years since the civil war was over, and Sri Lanka is looking at all aspects of life in order to catch up with the rest of the world.  The environment is a huge issue, but for SL it is a direct economic hit and encompasses tourism, farming, encroaching on wild life habitation, on educating the public.  The list goes on and on.

We're staying with Surekha this week. She is an environmental educator in an all boys school.  Just a few years ago, dropping a piece of paper on the ground, throwing a coconut out a train window, leaving trash out for animals was the norm. Surekha works from top down; it's the teachers who need to set an example, it's the high schoolers who need to get involved.  The children are fine. Give them a task, tell them the consequences for litter and they adapt.  But it's the adults and high schoolers who have been so busy with life that they forgot that their surroundings are their life.

Same thing is happening with the wild animal population.  While SL has numerous national parks, there are minimal to no rules as to how to treat it.  We have been lucky to view the best as well as to to experience the issues that are now part of the Minister for Environment's daily issues in the newspapers.

Udawalae Park in the south is a savanah type environment with trails created by elephants foraging but also by jeeps.  This is one of those parks that truly works. It's large enough that you can have 20 jeeps of 2-6 people navigating  their way through the naked roads looking for elephants, deer, crocs, storks, water buffalloe, eagles and not see any other jeep (that is unless there is a herd of elephants and the word gets out).  It's a wild, fun ride because there are so many animals in this park. There is enough space for 600 elephants, local folks recognize that the park brings in cash, and rice farmers are using traditional methods of building huts on stilts so as to protect their rice paddies from hungry elephants.  They tried fencing the park, but learned a fence can't really stop an elephant nor stop poachers from poaching.  So traditional methods of survelance and educating the public is saving animal lives, providing $$$ for all the communities nearby, and expanding job opportunities.  It's a win-win situation.

We are safari junkies. And while the wild and crazy rides tearing through the bush of Hubile Eco Park outside of Habarana is fun, fun, fun, it is destroying the environment.  Drivers crash through the bush giving their particular passengers the best possible view, but simultaneolsy knocking down trees and bushes to get to these animals.  Because the drivers in this park are so aggressive, it effects the elephants and the herds prefer to leave, which creates problems for the farmers and small villages nearby.

Yala National Park, the biggest in the country is going to close down for half a year just to get some sort of control back.  Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, the Minister for Sustainable Development and Wildlife recognizes tourism is increasing along with complaints about trash, smells of urine, and animals are going deeper into the bush making it more difficult for the tourist to see, and thus cutting down on economic growth for the locals.  Without regulations, campers have been setting up tent camps and RV's leaving tin cans, papers, rubbish.  Eco-friendly hotels have increased.  Sometimes they are actually eco-friendly, but some are in name only. So they are closing the park, setting up dirt roadways that can change with the rains, monitoring the camps, and hopefully educating the public.

Animals and parks are a big draw for SL. They are experimenting.  Horowpathana is a good size, 3500 hectare park with 15 elephants living here. In order to keep these elephants here and establish this as a national park, the park is going to allow folks to feed the elephants.  While this is a definite no-no everywhere else, they are hoping that by feeding the elephants, the elephants will stay resulting in a robust economy for the locals by creating a park.  We'll know more in a year or two.

A marine park is even in the news with a focus on rules and regulations for viewing 90 foot blue whales, leatherback turtles, and spinning dolphins who love the warm waters of Mirissa and stay local in the area year-round.

Sri Lanka is changing quickly.  There are so many avenues to take. We'll read of course of the changes, but hopefully we will be able to return and witness what works and what needs adapting.