Urgent suggestions include relocating entry gate and visitor management system By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Is the unique mist-shrouded Horton Plains National Park (NP) slithering down the slope, like other well-known Protected Areas (PAs), into an abyss of chaos and misbehaviour by humans who are privileged to be in such a spectacular environment? This is the major concern [...]
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Is the unique mist-shrouded Horton Plains National Park (NP) slithering down the slope, like other well-known Protected Areas (PAs), into an abyss of chaos and misbehaviour by humans who are privileged to be in such a spectacular environment?
This is the major concern creating deep worry lines on the foreheads of environmentalists and conservationists.
The Horton Plains NP is not only unique for its stunning beauty spots and extraordinary fauna and flora but also because it is the one-and-only NP in Sri Lanka where visitors are not compulsorily restricted to vehicles but permitted to hike independently without a ranger. They have the freedom to wend their way along designated roads to World’s End, Little World’s End and Baker’s Falls.
The issues ailing other NPs are now taking a vice-like hold of extraordinarily precious Horton Plains, caution conservationists.
“Many visitors to the Horton Plains NP come here when they are on holiday in Nuwara Eliya and that is the loud and boisterous behaviour they bring here as well, creating much havoc in this sensitive area,” laments conservation photographer, author and leopard researcher Sankha Wanniatchi.
Sankha should know for he spends countless hours in and around Horton Plains NP, observing wildlife and documenting their lives. He has to his credit the book ‘Ghost of the Clouded Plains’ about the apex predator, the leopard which lords over this area.
Some of the visitors do not have any respect for this sensitive environment and do not follow the rules of a PA, he says, explaining the deviant behaviour as racing around in vehicles, dumping garbage anywhere and everywhere, shouting and hollering and also picking flowers at random.
Sankha points to the tightly-regulated Yellowstone National Park, mainly in Wyoming in the United States of America, replete with hot springs, geysers, steam vents and open plains, where too visitors can walk around.
The unique grandeur of Horton Plains. Pix by Sankha Wanniatchi
Urging that Sri Lanka needs to look at the bigger picture with regard to a broader conservation strategy for Horton Plains, Sankha along with many other conservationists, suggests a few initial measures to protect this national asset.
Dire need to relocate entry gate of Horton Plains NP
Pointing out that the stretch of road between the current entry gate and the Pattipola Railway Station is far more than just an access road to the NP, Sankha says that there is “significant” wildlife activity in this area. Over the years, he has encountered leopards, sambar, jackals and other animals frequenting this habitat.
“These wild animals do not know the difference between man-made boundaries separating lands managed by different government institutions such as the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Forest Department. They move freely across the landscape,” he says, stressing that unfortunately, this area is also heavily used by people and not always in a responsible manner.
Giving a glimpse of the chaos in the NP – frequent vehicle stops along the road, loud music, consumption of alcohol and dumping of garbage – this leopard lover says that people also enter and exit the buffer zone without proper monitoring or explanation as to why they are venturing into these sensitive areas. Such disturbances not only degrade the environment which is meant to be protected but also impact heavily on the wildlife.
The suggested relocation of the entry gate
Relocating the park entrance would bring this ecologically-important area under greater protection and regulation, he says, underscoring that it would reduce uncontrolled human activity, improve monitoring of visitors and provide additional safety to animals which use this landscape regularly.
Introduce a sustainable Visitor Management System including a scientifically-deduced restriction of numbers
There should be a scientifically-determined limit on the number of visitors allowed into the Horton Plains NP each day, says Sankha, as it is a ‘fragile’ ecosystem. Grouping those who flock here is also important as it would help tailor to the different needs of visitors.
His contention is that a separate permit system should be introduced for visitors intent on observing nature and wildlife, while a shuttle service could cater to those wishing to visit attractions such as World’s End and Baker’s Falls.
These measures would significantly reduce the number of private vehicles entering the NP, drastically cut down pollution as well as noise and minimize disturbance to wild animals. The NPs carrying capacity is not unlimited and conservation should take precedence over visitor numbers as this is a PA, is his simple but valid argument.
Need to halt road kills due to irresponsible human behaviour
Having come across a young sambar killed on this stretch of road, between the current entry gate and the proposed new entrance near the Pattipola bridge, Sankha is adamant, after examining the carcass, that there were no signs of predation. The carcass did not have claw marks, bite wounds or injuries typically associated with a leopard kill.
Therefore, evidence strongly suggests that the sambar had been killed by a speeding vehicle. This tragic incident, says Sankha, serves as a stark reminder that vehicular traffic poses a real and immediate threat to the wildlife in this area.
The disgrace caused by humans at Horton Plains
Having heard sounds resembling gunshots at night from just outside the NP boundaries, Sankha worries about illegal activity just beyond this PA which serve as a reminder once again of the vulnerability of wildlife.
He revisits his suggestions – extending protection to the area between Pattipola Station and the current entry gate; reducing vehicular traffic; and managing visitor numbers – and is sure that meaningful steps would ensure that this Heritage Site would be enjoyed by generations to come.
Reiterating that Horton Plains is one of Sri Lanka’s “greatest” natural treasures, Sankha says that protecting it requires difficult decisions and long-term thinking not tomorrow, not in a week or not in a year. The authorities need to act right now, otherwise it will be too late for the Horton Plains NP.
Why Horton Plains is unique and needs to be well protected
The Horton Plains National Park veiling the central highlands is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and encompasses a high-altitude plateau, the sheer staggering cliff face which is World’s End and most extensive surviving montane grasslands and cloud forest ecosystem.
Spreading across 3,160 hectares, this NP is at an elevation of over 6,900 feet (2,000 metres) above sea level. Declared as an NP in 1988, it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Central Highlands in 2010.
Famous for its sleek and beautiful leopard, quite different to its more gaunt cousins in the dry zone, it is also in this NP that the magnificent sambar roams, the critically-endangered slender loris hides and many endemic birds including the Sri Lanka whistling thrush and the yellow-eared bulbul fly high.
This NP embraces “extraordinary” biodiversity and a high level of endemism, supporting a rich variety of fauna and flora, well adapted to the cool but harsh montane environment. They include endemic mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians and more than 750 plant species.
Not just referred to as the ‘Roof of Sri Lanka’, the Horton Plains NP also forms what is dubbed the country’s ‘water tower’, where the headwaters of the three major rivers, the Mahaweli, Kelani and Walawe, are located. This picturesque NP is home to numerous babbling streams, pools and cascading waterfalls including the 22-metre Baker’s Falls.
Even the climate of Horton Plains is unique – cool temperatures often dropping close to freezing at night! Share This Post Tweet Facebook Twitter Email × Send Email to Friend
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