30 January 2013
Sri Lanka Designates its Sixth Ramsar Site
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The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Sri Lanka has designated Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Cluster as its sixth Wetland of International Importance.

The site encompasses all of Wilpattu National Park, which was established in 1938.

28 January 2013: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) has reported that the Government of Sri Lanka has designated Wilpattu Ramsar Wetland Cluster as its sixth Wetland of International Importance. The site encompasses all of Wilpattu National Park, which was established in 1938.

According to the Ramsar Secretariat, the site encompasses some 205 water bodies and hosts a wide range of resident and migrant wildlife, including some endangered and vulnerable species.

The wetlands once supported an agricultural civilization, as demonstrated by its 68 archaeologically important sites. Currently, activities carried out on the site include commercial and subsistence fisheries, as well as agriculture, while threats to the area stem mainly from invasive aquatic species, logging and slash and burn agriculture.

Sri Lanka’s designation contributes to one of the goals contained in the Ramsar Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2009-2015, which is to reach a protected area of 250 million hectares by 2015. [Ramsar Press Release]