Bundala National Park

Bundala National Park
Sunset near Kirinda
Map showing the location of Bundala National Park
Map showing the location of Bundala National Park
Location of Bundala National Park
LocationSouthern Province, Sri Lanka
Nearest cityHambantota
Coordinates6°12′50″N 81°13′30″E / 6.21389°N 81.22500°E / 6.21389; 81.22500
Area3,339.38 hectares (12.8934 sq mi) after regazzetting in 2004, originally of 6,216 hectares (24.00 sq mi)[1]
Established1969 (sanctuary)
1993 (national park)
Governing bodyDepartment of Wildlife Conservation
Official nameBundala
Designated15 June 1990
Reference no.487[2]

Bundala National Park is an internationally important wintering ground for migratory water birds in Sri Lanka. Bundala harbors 197 species of birds, the highlight being the greater flamingo, which migrate in large flocks.[1] Bundala was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and redesignated to a national park on 4 January 1993.[3] In 1991 Bundala became the first wetland to be declared as a Ramsar site in Sri Lanka. In 2005 the national park was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, the fourth biosphere reserve in Sri Lanka.[4] The national park is situated 245 kilometres (152 mi) southeast of Colombo.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Wetland Cluster within Bundala National Park". Sri Lanka Wetlands Information and Database. IWMI. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Bundala". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. ^ Senarathna, P.M. (2005). Sri Lankawe wananthara (in Sinhala) (1st ed.). Sarasavi publishers. pp. 197–198. ISBN 978-955-573-401-1.
  4. ^ "Twenty-three New Biosphere Reserves Added to UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Network". unesco.org. UNESCO. 29 June 2005. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  5. ^ Senarathna, P. M. (2004). Sri Lankawe Jathika Vanodhyana [National Parks of Sri Lanka] (in Sinhala). Sarasavi Publishers. p. 195. ISBN 978-955-573-346-5.