Wilpattu under threat as EFL takes battle to Court again

The Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Ltd., (EFL) yesterday filed a Writ application in the Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka, asking the court to urgently stop illegal activities inside Wilpattu National Park, especially around the Pallekandal Church in Block V of the park.

A small jungle shrine in Block V of Wilpattu National Park, used in the past for a modest annual feast by local fishing communities, fell into disuse during the civil conflict. After the park reopened in 2010, the site grew into a large church complex through illegal construction, clearing of forests, and increased human activity. 

Despite being inside a protected area, the Government has now decided to: Allow the festivities and related activities; Install tube wells; Permit pilgrim access through multiple entrances and vehicles- including carts, motorcycles, three-wheelers, or lorries; Allow 24-hour use of certain zones; Continue using the existing causeway in 2025 and build a new bridge in 2026; Submit a Cabinet paper to allow monthly masses from August 2025.

These actions risk legitimising illegal activities and further damaging a highly sensitive protected ecosystem.

Wilpattu National Park is Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest national park. It harbours a unique and fragile ecosystem, including one of the country’s two ‘Villu’ wetland systems, and supports a wide variety of plants and animals across forests, scrublands, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal habitats such as mangroves and salt marshes. The park is protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO) and is home to iconic species like elephants and leopards, along with many endemic and endangered plant and animal species. Nearly 50 villus provide rare freshwater and brackish wetland habitats, sustaining the area’s unique ecosystem and maintaining its ecological health. Recognising its ecological and biodiversity significance, Wilpattu National Park has been designated a Ramsar wetland. In addition, the park contains numerous archaeological sites, making Wilpattu of immense environmental, cultural, and scientific value that necessitates strict protection.

The unregulated construction, gatherings, and vehicle access for the Pallekandal Church directly contravene Sections 3, 5, and 6 of the FFPO, which strictly prohibit entry and development inside the park unless expressly authorised for wildlife observation or conservation purposes.

Permitting mass entry and activities for religious purposes also breaches the Supreme Court undertaking in SC/FR/224/2010, which stipulated that public “through traffic” would not be allowed and that entry must comply strictly with the provisions of the FFPO.

Forest clearance, infrastructure expansion, and increased human presence are fragmenting habitats, disturbing wildlife including elephants, and threatening sensitive ecosystems. Unregulated vehicle access, noise, air and light pollution, waste generation, and water extraction from tube wells will further exacerbate environmental damage, risking long-term degradation of the park’s fragile ecosystems and increase human – wildlife conflict.

Through this legal action, EFL calls on the authorities to fulfil their statutory duties and safeguard Sri Lanka’s wildlife and natural heritage for future generations. The petition requests the Court to quash any unlawful approvals and regulate any legitimate religious practices in accordance with the law.