New access bridge at Eluwankulama to improve Wilpattu National Park operations and visitor services

A new access bridge will be constructed at Wilpattu National Park Eluvankulama entrance to provide unhindered access to Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officers to carry out park management activities and visitor services. The hanging bridge will also provide easier, uninterrupted access to visitors, especially during the monsoon season. 

The foundation stone for the new bridge was laid by Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake at the proposed construction site Wednesday (15 December). 

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Rathnayake said that the issue of this bridge had been longstanding, and some had argued that there should be a permanent solution. “However, we must keep in mind to protect trees and animals because this is a wildlife reserve. I really appreciate the support of the German Embassy and GIZ to construct this hanging bridge which provide easy access,” the Minister said.

Issuing a statement, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Sri Lanka Holger Seubert said, “As German Ambassador, I am proud to see extremely fruitful German-Sri Lankan cooperation in Wilpattu National Park. GIZ, together with the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation of Sri Lanka, have been working on improving the park’s management for quite a long time. Today we are witnessing that this project is not only on paper, but it’s actually producing tangible results. May German-Sri Lankan cooperation in Wilpattu further flourish!”   

GIZ Sri Lanka Country Director Christiane Einfeldt said, “On behalf of the German Development Cooperation, I’m very happy to be here today to inaugurate the new buildings and lay the foundation for the bridge. We very much hope that this supports the development of Wilpattu National Park and also benefits all the communities around Wilpattu as well as visitors both local and international.  

Minister Rathnayake and Einfeldt also declared open the new wildlife beat office at Pomparippu. This is the first beat office in Wilpattu National Park with disability access. The Warden of the Wilpattu National Park Suranga Rathnayake stated, “The new wildlife beat office at Pomparippu is one of the best facilities made available to us (the WNP staff) for the effective implementation of our duties at the park.” Wildlife beat offices provide the facilities for wildlife officers and wildlife rangers to improve their operations, in patrolling a designated locality within the protected area.

Construction of the hanging bridge and beat office in Pomparippu are key infrastructure development activities of the ‘Supporting Wilpattu National Park and Influence Zone Management’ project, being implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 

The project combines conservation efforts within the Wilpattu National Park with sustainable development of its influence zones and improvement of livelihood of the local communities in the terrestrial and marine influence zones of the park. Moreover, it aims to improve Wilpattu National Park’s management capacity, emphasizing on park operations, environmental and visitor use programs in support of the Wilpattu National Park Management Plan (2019-2024). 

Representing the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation, Secretary S. Widanapathirana attended the event and from DWC, Director (Protected Area Management) Manjula Amararathna, Deputy Director Visitor Services Management Chandani Wilson, Wilpattu National Park Warden Suranga Rathnayake, AD Anuradhapura W.S. Weragama, and Assistant Ranger D.M.A.K. Dassanayake were present at the event held at the Wilpattu National Park under health and safety guidelines.