Department of Wildlife Conservation (Sri Lanka)
Encyclopedia
The Department of Wildlife Conservation is a non-ministerial government department
in Sri Lanka
. It is the government department responsible for maintaining national park
s, nature reserves and wildlife in wilderness areas in Sir Lanka. Forest reserves and wilderness areas are maintained by the Department of Forest Conservation
. The head of the Department is the Director General of Wildlife Conservation, formally known as Warden. It was established in October 1949 with Captain Cyril Nicholas
, MC as its first Warden. The department comes under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and its present Director General is Ananda Wijesooriya.
Non-ministerial government department
A non-ministerial government department is a department or ministry of a government that is not headed by a Government Minister or Government Secretary, and answers directly to a legislature ....
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. It is the government department responsible for maintaining national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, nature reserves and wildlife in wilderness areas in Sir Lanka. Forest reserves and wilderness areas are maintained by the Department of Forest Conservation
Department of Forest Conservation
The Department of Forest Conservation is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Sri Lanka. Its mission is to protect and expand Sri Lanka's forests and woodlands. The head of the department is the Conservator General, M.P.A.U.S. Fernando...
. The head of the Department is the Director General of Wildlife Conservation, formally known as Warden. It was established in October 1949 with Captain Cyril Nicholas
Cyril Nicholas
Captain Cyril Wace Nicholas, MC, KRR was a Ceylonese soldier, civil servant and forester. He was the first Warden of the Wild Life Department.Educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo, he went on to study at the University of Cambridge...
, MC as its first Warden. The department comes under the purview of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and its present Director General is Ananda Wijesooriya.
List of national parks administered by the Department
- Yala National ParkYala National ParkYala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for the block 1 and Kumana National Park or...
- Wilpattu National ParkWilpattu National ParkWilpattu National Park is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. The unique feature of this park is the existence of "Willus" - Natural, sand-rimmed water basins or depressions that fill with rainwater. Located in the Northwest coast lowland dry zone of Sri Lanka...
- Gal Oya National ParkGal Oya National ParkGal Oya National Park in Sri Lanka was established in 1954 and serves as the main catchment area for Senanayake Samudraya, the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka. Senanayake Samudraya was built under the Gal Oya development project by damming the Gal Oya at Inginiyagala in 1950. An important feature of...
- Kumana National ParkKumana National ParkKumana National Park in Sri Lanka is renowned for its avifauna, particularly its large flocks of migratory waterfowl and wading birds. The park is southeast of Colombo on Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. Kumana is contiguous with Yala National Park...
- Udawalawe National ParkUdawalawe National ParkUdawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir....
- Lahugala Kitulana National ParkLahugala Kitulana National ParkLahugala Kitulana National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Sri Lanka. Despite its land area, the park is an important habitat for Sri Lankan Elephant and endemic birds of Sri Lanka. The national park contains the reservoirs of Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa and they are ultimately...
- Maduru Oya National ParkMaduru Oya National ParkMaduru Oya National Park is a national park of Sri Lanka, established under the Mahaweli development project and also acts as a catchment of the Maduru Oya Reservoir. The park was designated on 9 November 1983. Providing a sanctuary to wildlife, especially for elephants and protecting the immediate...
- Wasgamuwa National Park
- Flood Plains National ParkFlood Plains National ParkFlood Plains National Park is one of the four national parks set aside under the Mahaweli River development project. The park was created on 7 August 1984. The national park is situated along the Mahaweli flood plain and is considered a rich feeding ground for elephants...
- Somawathiya National ParkSomawathiya National ParkSomawathiya National Park is one of the four national parks designated under the Mahaweli River development project. Somawathiya Chaitya, a stupa said to be containing a relic of the tooth of the Buddha, is situated within the park. The park was created on 2 September 1986, having been originally...
- Horton Plains National ParkHorton Plains National ParkHorton Plains National Park is a protected area in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau at an altitude of is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. This region was designated a national park in...
- Bundala National ParkBundala National ParkBundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. Bundala harbors 197 species of Birds, the highlight being the Greater Flamingo, which migrate in large flocks. Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and redesignated to a...
- Lunugamvehera National ParkLunugamvehera National ParkLunugamvehera National Park in Sri Lanka was declared in 1995, with the intention of protecting the catchment area of the Lunugamvehera reservoir and wildlife of the area. The national park is an important habitat for water birds and elephants...
- Minneriya National ParkMinneriya National ParkMinneriya National Park is a national park in North Central Province of Sri Lanka. The area was designated as a national park on 12 August 1997, having been originally declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1938. The reason for declaring the area as protected is to protect the catchment of Minneriya...
- Kaudulla National ParkKaudulla National ParkKaudulla National Park is a national park on the island of Sri Lanka located away from the largest city, Colombo. It was designated a national park on April 1, 2002 becoming the 15th such area on the island. In the 2004–2005 season more than 10,000 people visited the National Park, generating an...
- Hikkaduwa National ParkHikkaduwa National ParkHikkaduwa National Park is one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka. The national park contains a fringing coral reef of high degree of biodiversity. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on May 18, 1979, and then on August 14, 1988, upgraded to a nature reserve with extended land area...
- Pigeon Island National ParkPigeon Island National ParkPigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province. The island's name derives from the Rock Pigeon which has colonized it. The national park contains some of the best...
- Horagolla National ParkHoragolla National ParkHoragolla National Park is one of the latest national parks in Sri Lanka. It is so called because of an abundance of Dipterocarpus zeylanicus trees. The area was originally declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 5 September 1973 due to its rich biodiversity. Later on 24 June 2004, Horagolla was...
- Galway's Land National ParkGalway's Land National ParkGalway's Land National Park is a small national park situated within the city limits of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. Having being declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 27 May 1938, the Galway's Land was elevated to the national park status on 18 May 2006. The park was declared to conserve the montane...
- Angammedilla National ParkAngammedilla National ParkAngammedilla National Park is one of the new national parks in Sri Lanka. The region was designated national park on 6th June, 2006. Originally Angammedilla was a forest reserve within the Minneriya-Girithale Sanctuary declared on 12th February, 1988. The park is declared mainly to protect the...
- Ussangoda National ParkUssangoda National ParkUssangoda National Park is the newest and the 21st national park in Sri Lanka. The objectives of establishing the new national park are providing long term protection for the area's biological, archaeological and geographical values...
See also
- Department of Forest ConservationDepartment of Forest ConservationThe Department of Forest Conservation is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Sri Lanka. Its mission is to protect and expand Sri Lanka's forests and woodlands. The head of the department is the Conservator General, M.P.A.U.S. Fernando...
- Department of National Zoological GardensDehiwala ZooNational Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka is a zoological garden in Dehiwala, Sri Lanka, founded in 1936. Its sprawling areas are host to a variety of animals and birds...