By Srilal Miththapala

I have been writing regularly in various journals, since of late, highlighting the plight that is befalling the Yala National Park. I am very thankful to all the editors of the popular newspapers who have given adequate publicity to my ‘crusade’.

There has been good supportive feedback from many sources, but there have been a few criticisms also, that there is no solution suggested by me in some of my more recent articles. On the contrary, I have clearly outlined some of the possible solutions that can be speedily implemented in some of my earlier articles(‘Yala – ruined by its own popularity’?)

Hence, due to the interest level shown, and the topical nature of the subject, I have collated some of the earlier writings related to the possible solutions, herein.

Fundamentally, all the problems really boil down from three issues, which are in some way inter-related.

1. Over-visitation and increased demand

2. Inability to enforce park rules by the DWC

3. Increased level of tourism activity in the area

Over visitation

Fuelled by the post war tourism boom, visitor numbers to Yala has been growing rapidly. In 2011, Yala had close upon 99,000 foreign visitors and 217,000 local visitors. (ref. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority –SLTDA). The 2012 figures are not yet available, but the total visitation is said to have exceeded 500,000 in 2012. In fact, it was reported recently that on the 13th of February this year, there was an all-time record at Yala, with 1000 foreign and 500 local visitors, bringing in revenue of Rs. 2.6 m for the day.

The safari vehicles and guides/trackers vie for business from visitors for safari rides. It is estimated that there are over 250 jeep drivers operating in the Yala area, most of whom have no experience nor interest in wildlife, but have gone into the business to make a ‘quick buck’. Profit margins are high, with a single safari driver earning Rs. 4,000-Rs. 5,000 per safari, of approximately three hours, together with ‘handsome tips’ for a unique sighting, particularly leopards.

Inability to enforce park rules

Ensuring that drivers and visitors obey the rules strictly within the National Park comes under the purview of the DWC. However, they are unable to implement most of these rules due to various reasons, such as lack of interest and motivation of staff, political interference, poor management, lack of resources etc.

Without the DWC being given a free hand to strictly enforce these rules, it is quite impossible to safeguard the sanctity and environment of the park.

Recently, a DWC official was on record appealing for help, to save a large tusker in the Sigiriya-Minneriya area from a gang of poachers who were stalking him for some time. The official said that he had no resources available with him, including fuel, to mount a search operation for the poachers!

Given the recent findings of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), about the gross mismanagement in public enterprises, it is no surprise that the DWC operates at this level.

As Jayantha Jayawardene, who has authored several books on Sri Lankan Elephants, so aptly puts it, the DWC has ceased to be an organisation which is there to protect animals. Its function now is to protect the people and politicians!

Tourism

With the rapid growth of tourism in the past three years, and wildlife tourism also gaining popularity in Sri Lanka, the number of tourists to the area has also increased, together with new hotel developments. SLTDA statistics reveal that of the 855,975 tourist arrivals to the country in 2011, 198,536 visited national parks (23%.). The numbers for 2012 are still not available officially, but given that arrivals to the country rose to 1 M, total Yala park visitation should be in the order of 500,000.

Hence, while it is clear that while Sri Lanka is not, and never will be, another Kenya, wild life tourism is certainly playing an increasingly important role in Sri Lanka’s tourism offering.

Over the years, the leopard population in Yala has grown, and today it numbers close to 50 leopards habituating a very small area of the park. This fairly healthy population, a large number of whom have grown up accustomed to human and jeeps, now enable visitors to have a very good chance of a leopard sighting during a game drive in the park. This single aspect has been the main cause for the drastic increase in visitation, leading to the current situation. Sri Lanka is beginning to be called a leopard haven, due to these relatively easy sightings of leopards.

What then are the possible solutions to mitigate these issues and bring some form of sanity back to this pristine and popular National Park?

Solutions

* Strictly enforce park rules – the simplest and most obvious solution. There are very good park rules that are promulgated, and which can be enforced, even by law. However, we all know that Sri Lanka has no shortage of rules for everything. The problem is in the enforcement and implementation of such rules.

* Punish offenders by suspension – This is simply an extension of enforcing the park rules very strictly. Offenders must be punished appropriately, without favouritism or any form of patronage. Tourism operators themselves can help by refusing to hire bad/blacklisted drivers.

* Ensure no interference by ‘outsiders’ in DWC – While we can certainly point fingers at the DWC and blame them for the sorry state of affairs, political interference is a common malady affecting all government departments today, and the DWC is no exception. Commitment by the senior personnel in the department can help to mitigate this problem, somewhat.

* DWC to set up mobile patrols within the park – Mobile patrols inside the park, very much like a mobile police patrol car, can be an effective deterrent. (This initiative has been implemented now in association with DIMO, Environment Foundation and Cinnamon Wild).

* Educate and create awareness of the do’s and don’ts in the park – Educating and creating an awareness among visitors will bring pressure on drivers to behave properly. Hopefully, the visitors themselves will discourage bad behaviour by showing their displeasure when ‘tipping’.

* Limit visitation (carrying capacity) – There should be a maximum number of jeeps allowed at any given time inside the park. Most well managed wild life parks have such a system in place , where the ‘overflow’ has to wait patiently at the visitor centre, until the appropriate number of vehicles exit from the park.

* Ban large buses from entering the park – Some of the biggest offenders are large Sri Lankan groups on pilgrimage who stop over for a quick ‘look around’ the park. The large, badly maintained buses that these groups use, belching large volumes of smoke from exhausts, cause great damage to the environment of the park.

* Have scheduled tours operated by DWC – One way to circumvent the over-visitation issue is to have the DWC operate a mini-observation coach, which can carry groups or 25 people or so, undertaking well guided and scheduled tours according to a timetable, into the park. Large groups of visitors can be accommodated on these tours. * Introduce and maintain ‘one way’ roads. To ease some of the overcrowding of certain popular areas for wild life viewing, some form of one-way roads within the park can certainly help.

* Open up alternative entrance to reduce bottlenecks ( Heenwewa) – to ease the bottleneck and rush at the entrance, possibly opening up another entrance would help.

* Ensure that the park is closed during the drought – during the severe drought months of September and October there is great stress on the animals as their food and water sources dry up. It is important not to add to this stress by allowing visitors, and it is always good park management practice to shut down during such periods, to allow the flora and fauna to recuperate.(According to press reports, the park will be closed in September this year, which is a very welcome sign).

* Surcharge for vehicles with poor load factor (one or two passengers) – Tourism operators should offer single or twin guests the option to double up with others to increase the load factor per vehicle. Otherwise, there should be a surcharge for the entry ticket.

* Surcharge on entry ticket prices during peak periods – this is a strategy that can be used to ensure that there is a more even distribution of visitors right throughout the day. Although wild life sightings are less during the noon hours, one can still view a reasonable variety of birds and animals.

* Have well trained trackers in each vehicle – there should be an adequate cadre of well-trained trackers to accompany visitors in each park to meet the demand.

* Move away from being leopard centric, and publicise the diversity in Yala – Environmentalists, wild life enthusiasts and tour operators can downplay the leopard and the guaranteeing of a sighting, and promote the other attractions of the park.

* Promote other national parks as an alternate to Yala (to tourists) – Tour operators can promote other wild life parks to the general tourist, who is not a hard-core wild life fan.

* Capacity of tourist hotels in the area – Proper zoning and planning, with carrying capacity assessments, has to be done for tourism development. It is said that there will be eventually about 700 rooms in the area (Currently there 505 rooms in star class hotels and guest houses; another 195 has been approved according to sources, which will take the total up to 700 rooms). The SLTDA is very tight-lipped with these statistics, and safeguards such information like some top secret data!

* So much so for right of information!

* 700 rooms at 50% occupancy will result in 350 visitors at any day in the area. If just 35% of them visit the park, over 120 people will be entering the park every day, only from this segment!

Conclusion

Therefore, it is quite evident that there are a number of possible solutions to this problem. It is true that there is no ‘one-quick-fix’, but all of the above will in some way help mitigate the problems.

It is also evident that although most of the responsibility for this situation rests fairly and squarely with the DWC, it will be a pipe dream to expect that they will be able to ‘put their house in order’ in the short term.

It is important therefore, that all stakeholders put their ‘shoulders to the wheel’ to help in any way they can, to mitigate the on-going problems