| Hikkaduwa National Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Hikkaduwa National Park | |
| Location | Southern province, Sri Lanka |
| Nearest city | Hikkaduwa |
| Coordinates | 6°08′42″N 80°05′33″E / 6.14500°N 80.09250°E |
| Area | 101.6 ha |
| Established | September 19, 2002 |
| Governing body | Department of Wildlife Conservation |
Hikkaduwa National Park is one of the three marine national parks in Sri Lanka. The national park contains a fringing coral reef of high degree of biodiversity. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on May 18, 1979, and then on August 14, 1988, upgraded to a nature reserve with extended land area.[1] The growth of the number of visitors in the next 25 years increased the degradation of the coral reef. To reduce the effects to the ecosystem, the reef was declared a national park on September 19, 2002.
- ^ Senarathna, P.M. (2009). "Hikkaduwa Jathika Udhyanaya". Sri Lankawe Jathika Vanodhyana (in Sinhala) (2nd ed.). Sarasavi publishers. pp. 211–219. ISBN 955-573-346-5.