With the rapid growth of tourism industry wildlife base tourism has been popularized in Sri Lanka.This presentation provides evaluation of wildlife tourism in the second largest national park in Sri Lanka- Yala National Park

1. Wildlife Tourism at Yala
National Park
1Group Project 2017

2. Group Project- EN 3907
Semester II- 2017
Business and Environment
Programme (4G)
Department of Zoology and
Environment Science
Group Project 2017 2

3. Group Project 2017 3
Group Members
Name Index No
W.M.K.Kalhara 12329
K.K.G.A.S.Wijetilleke 12256
W.V.Y.Vidyani 12320
D.M.P.S.Dissanayeke 12375
E.G.I.Wasana 12250
J.M.Indrachapa 12293
W.C.N.Wijerathne 12302
H.K.A.Ishara 12390

4. Outline
 Introduction
 Yala National Park (YNP)
 Objectives
 Background of tourism in Sri Lanka
 Tourism in YNP
 Past & present tourism in Yala NP
 Types of tourism in YNP
 Stakeholders
 Methodology
 Results & Observations
 Survey results
 Issues in YNP
 Role of stakeholders
 Recommendations 4Group Project 2017

5. 5Group Project 2017

6. • To identify major issues in Yala NP related to
tourism
• Investigate the major factors and the stakeholders
of wildlife based nature tourism in Yala NP
• To investigate the interaction between wildlife
conservation and highlight the areas of conflicts
between conservation and tourism
• To make recommendations for short, medium and
long term solutions to these problems
6Group Project 2017

7. 7Group Project 2017

8. 8
Tourism is the 3rd largest
revenue earner in the country
which provides vast range of job
opportunities
 Contributes significant
percentage towards GDP
Group Project 2017

9. Group Project 2017 9
National Parks are one of the
most popular tourist destinations
From the total number of tourist
arrivals 33% represents wildlife
tourism
According to the 2016 statistics of
SLTDA, most visited national parks
are,
1. Yala National Park
2. Horton Plains
3. Udawalawa
4. Wasgamuwa
5. Minneriya

10. 10Group Project 2017

11. 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
No. of Foreign visitors 98,583 121,735 142,714 173,449 236,217 272,835
No. of Local visitors 216,666 217,898 236,700 239,985 308,790 385,442
Total No. of visitors 315,249 339,633 379,414 413,434 545,007 658,277
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
No.ofvisitors
Recent visitors data in Yala
National Park
11
After the civil war tourist
arrivals to Yala had
increased by 1000%
Number of Local tourists
are greater than the foreign
tourists
Year 2016 represents the
highest number of tourists
arrivals
Past & Present Tourism in YNP
Group Project 2017

12. Compare with the other NPs
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Yala National Park 315,249 339,633 379,414 413,434 545,007 658,277
Udawalawa National Park 76,925 76,077 21,336 134,702 202,540 280,716
Kumana National Park 17,097 20,602 112,414 20,470 26,916 34,221
Bundala National Park 11,396 11,250 16,071 18,500 17,282 19,828
Lunugamvehera National
Park
2,730 3,163 2,791 10,212 10,347 31,587
Lahugala National Park 197 424 302 216 244 521
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
No.ofvisitors
12
 Comparatively Yala
has the highest
visitation than the
other national parks
in every year
 The visitation has
increased
dramatically than
the other NPs due
to,
 Over marketing of Yala
 Poor visitor facilities &
Improper road network
in other NP’s
Group Project 2017

13. Types of Tourism in Yala National Park
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 Wildlife tourism
Focused on observing local Fauna
Eg: Leopard, Asian Elephant, Sloth Bear
Nature based Tourism
Photography
To Camping sites
Ex:- YNP Camping site,
Yala Safari, Mahoora
Bird watching

14. 14Group Project 2017

15. Methodology
 A field workshop was done to,
 Identify issues in YNP
 To collect information
 Field workshop had
 Visitor survey
 Interviews with officials of DWC,
Tour guides , Jeep divers, Hoteliers
 Lectures by Visiting Lecturers
 Collected information was subjected to
analyses
 A thorough survey was done for literature
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16. Stakeholders
16
• Department of Wildlife
Conservation (DWC)
• Forest Department
• Coastal Resource
Management Department
• Sri Lanka Tourism Authority
• Central Environmental
Authority (CEA)
• Irrigation Department
• Department of Archeology
• Provincial Councils
• Local Authorities
Government
organizations
Group Project 2017

17. Stakeholders Cont.
Group Project 2017 17
Private sector
•Hoteliers
•Large scale –they are environmental
friendly
•Small to Medium Enterprises
•Tour Operators
•Jeep Driver's Associations
•National level private sector interested
in nature conservation
Ex: ODEL,MAS
•Camp site operators

18. • Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS)
• Wilderness and Wildlife Conservation Trust
(WWCT)
• Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS)
• Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL)
• Friends of Yala(Sri Lanka)
Non-Governmental
Organizations(NGOs)
• Mass Media
• Social Media
Others
• Visitors
• Safari drivers
• Tour guides
• Nature lovers
• Local community
• Politicians
Press (Media)
18Group Project 2017

19. 19
Main issues related to Yala NP
•Over-visitation- The main issue in the park
•Indiscipline behaviors of safari jeep drivers and passengers at
sightings.
•High speed and reckless driving when trying to reach sightings.
Road kills of animals
Injury to visitors
Issues related to Tourism
Group Project 2017

20. Main issues at YNP cont..
20
•Lack of funding
•Poor nature interpretation services offered
by the Department of Wildlife Conservation
•Continued political interference resulting in
lack of independence for the DWC to enforce
Park rules and regulations.
•Pollution inside the park
Group Project 2017

21. Issues that are not directly related to the
tourism in YNP
 Problems due to the bad weather
 Drought and very heavy rainfall
 Major illegal human activities
Poaching of wildlife
 Extraction of timber
Grazing of domestic cattle and buffaloes
Illegal gem mining
Collection of firewood etc.
21Group Project 2017

22. 22Group Project 2017
 Government Organizations (GOs)
 Private sector
 Non-Governmental Organizations
 Press (Media)

23. Group Project 2017 23
 Department of Wildlife Conservation(DWLC)
 Forest Department(FD)
 Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority(SLTDA)
 Department of Coast Conservation
 Central Environmental Authority(CEA)

24. Government Organizations
Minister of
wild life
• Making rules and regulations
• Giving power to the DG/DWC
Director
General of
Wild Life(DG)
• Making the Management Plan
• Issuing Permits
Park
Warden
• Establishing, maintaining, enforce rules & regulations inside
the park, provide visitor Services
• Monitoring the activities inside the Park
24
Department of Wild Life Conservation(DWC)
Legal regime
Flora & Fauna Protection Ordinance- legal
Wild Life Policy- not legal but provides guidance
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25. Government Organizations cont..
 Conserve wildlife inside the park and make it a haven for
them
Take actions against illegal activities
 DWC funds the park for its management purposes
 Park management under DWC do the maintenance of the
park in the period that the park close for visitors each year
Road systems
Artificial tanks
 Provide visitor services
Sanitary facilities
Visitor centers
 Political interference prevents action against those who
break the rules or violate the FFPO
25Group Project 2017

26. Forest Department (FD)
Legal regime
Forest Ordinance
• Enforce the rules and regulations inside the forest area of the
park to control the illegal activities like,
Illegal logging
Destruction of forest due to agriculture etc.
26
Government Organizations cont..
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27. 27
Government Organizations cont..
Legal regime
Tourism Act
SLTDA is the major government body who
Manage tourism activities
Communicating with other agencies
Establishing sustainable tourism in the country
Develop Tourism Strategic Plan for the country
SLTDA
Group Project 2017

28.  SLTDA should promote other national parks to over come the
over-visitation issues at Yala national park Block 1
By;
Funding the other national parks
Making the infrastructure to reach them like
roads , local airports etc
Providing accommodation in those areas
Focused on high end nature tourism in the
country to earn revenue through tourism
28
Government Organizations cont..
Group Project 2017

29. 29
Government Organizations cont..
Department of Coast Conservation
Legal regime
Coast Conservation Act
Coastal area and coastal resource management plan
Management of the coastal area of the Yala national Park is
under the Coast Conservation Department
Control the fisheries
Other developments in the coastal zone
Protect the biodiversity
Actions against coastal area pollution
Yala coastal area is a nesting site
of TURTLES who are named as
endangered by IUCN
Group Project 2017

30. 30
Government Organizations cont..
Another major government body who
Manage the developments activities
By Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
 Environmental pollution by the industries
Environmental Protection License (EPL)
Provincial Council and the local authorities (Tissamaharama
PS and others ) around the National park- Other
development activities around the YNP
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31. Group Project 2017 31
Hoteliers
Tour operators
Jeep drivers association

32. Private Sector
• Hoteliers
32
• Jetwing Yala
• Cinnamon wild YalaLarge scale
• Small restaurants and
resorts
Small scale
• Kulu Safaris
• Uga Chena Huts
High End
companies
• Small and the Medium-scale Enterprises
 Sweet Shops
 Ornament Shops
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33. 33
Private Sector cont..
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34. 34Group Project 2017
Private Sector cont..

35. Distribution of major hotels in the buffer zone of Block 1 Yala
35
Source: Google Earth satellite 3D view
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Private Sector cont..

36. Role of Private Sector
 Promote nature based sustainable tourism inside the park,
 Promote Yala Block 3 & 5 to reduce the visitor pressure on the Block 1
Ex: Kulu safari use their own jeeps to take visitors to observe wildlife in
Block 3 & 5
 Protection of Biodiversity
 Use eco friendly fittings. Ex: Kulu safari
36Group Project 2017

37.  Protection of biodiversity
37
Carry out research & conservation projects
Ex:- Leopard conservation projects
 Donate steel cattle pens to local farmers
to reduce the human- leopard conflicts.
Cinnamon Wild Yala
Jetwing Yala
John Keells Hotels
Tree plantations and regrowth of natural
forest
Ex:- Kulu safari
Group Project 2017
Role of Private Sector cont..

38. Role of Private Sector cont..
Group Project 2017 38
Support for monitoring and anti-poaching patrol
within the park
 Dimo donated a Tata Xenon
Supply 200 liters of fuel per month
Ex:- John Keells Hotels
Donated a GPS which was needed for the park
Ex:- Cinnamon Nature Trails
Carry out training program for safari jeep drivers
Provide a naturalist for every safari jeep to improve
the overall visitor experience

39. Role of Private Sector cont..
39
During closed period of Yala,
Promote night safari along the coastal area
Ex:-Cinammon wild
Plans to introduce safe Diving sites
Ex:-Jetwing yala -help of “Victoria life saving Association
Carry out eco-friendly, sustainable tourism practices
Energy conserving activities-(lighting with LED bulbs, solar
energy, bio-gas plants)
Regular recycling and reuse program
Waste water treatment plant
Waste management system
Group Project 2017

40. Role of Private Sector cont..
 Negative Impacts
Removing sand dunes and vegetation
Light pollution of the coastline (negatively affects
turtles and other sea creatures that use the beach at
night)
 High consumption of water, electricity
 Pollution by Small Scale Hotels
40Group Project 2017

41. Tour Operators
 Combines tour and travel components to create a package
holiday
 Use social medias to promote or not to promote the
park for the tourists
 Only promote the hotels which are environmentally
friendly
 Foreign tour operators
Thomas Cook
Kuoni
41Group Project 2017

42.  Local tour operators
Tangerine Tours
Ceylon Roots
Jetwing Travels
Walkers Tours
Browns Tours
Bernard Tours
Lankan Traveler
Aitken Spence Travels
Group Project 2017 42

43. Jeep Driver’s Association
 ~ 700 registered safari jeeps in Yala
 Directly related with their livelihoods
 They have the responsibility to obey parks rules and
regulations
43Group Project 2017

44. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) of Sri
Lanka since 1894
• The Sri Lanka Wildlife
Conservation Society
(SLWCS)
• The Wilderness & Wildlife
Conservation Trust (WWCT)
• Environmental Foundation Limited
(EFL)

45. Media
Mass Media & Social Media
for
Responsible Marketing & Conservation Aspect

46. Group Project 2017 46
OBSERVATIONS

47. Interviews with Safari Jeep drivers
• Tours are increased at beginning of the year
• Majority of drivers have average 15 years working
experience
• Majority reside in Tissamaharama area
• Majority drivers focus on Foreign visitors
• Jeep driving is their livelihood, some have a preference of
wildlife conservation
• Problems - Vehicular congestion at wildlife sighting,
indiscipline of junior drivers, harassments from
elephants such as “Gamunu”
47

48. Interviews with Safari Jeep drivers cont..
• Majority disagree with closing Block 1 for 3 months
• Request – Increase ticket counter at least to two
open NP until 6.45 pm not 6.00 pm
48

49. Group Project 2017 49
Interviews with Park Warden and Trackers
Lack of funding
Indiscipline behaviors of safari jeep drivers
Lack of adequate staff and facilities
Political backlashes
Collect environmental data using GPS technology while
Patrolling inside the park
Plan to construct a water channel from ‘Manik’ River to
Yala block I

50. Interviews with Hoteliers
 Impacts from the Jeep drivers
Mafia of Jeep drivers by blocking roads and violence
Ex:- Blocking “Uga Chena” vehicles and damage
those
 Attack on trackers and wildlife officers
 Social Degradation
Breakdown in humanity due to subculture
Group Project 2017 50

51. 51Group Project 2017

52. Survey results
52
1. Purpose of the visitors to the Yala National Park.
Foreign visitors Local visitors
12%
17%
10%
8%15%
23%
15%
See
leopards
See
elephants
See bears
See birds
See wildlife
See
nature/sce
nery
enjoyment
25%
18%
9%5%
21%
11%
11%
Group Project 2017

53. 47%
38%
5%
10%
elephants
leopard
bear
no over crowding
2. Wildlife sighting by visitors on Yala NP Block I
53
3%
1%
2%
51%
43%
elephants
leopards
bears
deer/wild buffaloes herds
crocodile
3. Overcrowding of vehicles at animal sightings
Group Project 2017

54. 4. Speeding and reckless behavior of safari Jeep drivers
54
13%
87%
yes
no
5. Satisfaction with overall experience in Yala Block I
17%
70%
8%
5%0%
excellent
good
average
poor
very poor
 None of the respondents
that were not satisfied with
the speeding of jeep drivers
had requested to drive
slowly from the safari jeep
driver
 Theory about overall
satisfaction: Uniformly high
levels of overall satisfaction
are common in recreation
and tourism studies
(Manning 1999)
Group Project 2017

55. 6.Recommending others to visit
55
94%
6%
86%
14%
yes no
Foreign visitorsLocal visitors
7. Previous visitation to Yala NP
56%
44%
first visit to the Yala NP
visited Yala NP before
Local visitors Foreign visitors
 Out of 22 foreign visitors
only one have visited Yala
national park before
Group Project 2017

56. 56Group Project 2017

57. Recommendations (Action plan of YNP)
57
Speed bumps
Uni-flow system where possible
Regular patrolling
Strict enforcement of rules
 Progressively increasing penalties
Uni-flow system where possible
 Training and accreditation of
safari jeep drivers and DWC guide
and
Implement E-Tickenting system
for park entrance etc.
Short term
action
Group Project 2017

58. 58
Medium
term action
Zoning the Park
 Opening west side of Sithulpauwwa
Road
 Undertake a carrying capacity
assessment
 Tourism industry to stop over
promoting Yala
Introduce training program for jeep
drivers and
Undertaken visitor satisfaction survey
etc.
Long term
action
With increased sightings in Blocks 3, 4
&5
 Impose vehicle limits on all blocks
through gradual reductions
Group Project 2017
(Source: Action plan of Yala national park, 2017)

59. Our Recommendations
• Promote Yala as a high-End nature tourism destination in the
region of Asia
– By using the tourism management plan and the marketing strategies
which used by Rwanda for Gorilla Tourism
• Increase the per day cost for a visitor
• Use an electronic display at the entrance to Yala NP as an
interpretation for tourist in three languages (Sinhalese ,Tamil,
English)
• With the help of Ministry of Education, Vocational Training
and others implement new diploma/ programmes for
sustainable Tourism
• Allow DWC to enforce Rules and Regulations and take
actions against the violence without the political backlashes
59Group Project 2017

60.  Recommend the Yala national park to relevant
enthusiasts groups and researchers for,
observing birds
observing crocodiles and
observing sea turtles
due to the high species diversity
 Organize special tours for the above
Group Project 2017 60

61. Group Project 2017 61
Thank You!
We gratefully acknowledge ,
Dr. N. Pallewatta (Coordinator- Business & Environment-4G )
Department of Wildlife Conservation senior officials
Mr. Siyasinhge (Park Warden of the YNP)
Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya (Former Director General of DWC)
Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando
Mr.Ranjith Marasinghe (Department of Wildlife Conservation)
Managers and Naturalists of Kulu Safari ,Jetwing Yala, Cinnamon Wild
Staff of the DWC
All the academic and non academic staff of the Department of Zoology
and Environmental Sciences