Sri Lanka’s wildlife parks face dual threat of overcrowding and neglect, audit reveals

• While parks such as Yala are overwhelmed, the National Audit Office’s review highlights significant inaction and neglect in developing other sites
• Key issues include a severe human resource crisis within the Department of Wildlife Conservation 

By Nishel Fernando

Sri Lanka’s lucrative wildlife tourism sector, a cornerstone of its economic recovery, is facing a critical challenge of imbalance.
Blockbuster national parks such as Yala are straining under the pressure of over-visitation, while other parks with immense potential are hampered by lack of basic facilities, according to a review by the National Audit Office in the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s (DWC) 2024 Performance Report.
This disparity not only threatens the delicate ecosystems of popular parks but also represents a significant missed opportunity for broader, more sustainable tourism growth across the island.
The economic stakes are high, with the DWC reporting a staggering tourism revenue of Rs. 8.815 billion in 2024. This boom is overwhelmingly driven by a few key locations. Yala National Park emerged as the undisputed leader, attracting 646,704 visitors (293,058 local and 353,646 foreign). It was followed by Horton Plains with 349,398 visitors and Udawalawe with 276,081 visitors. This concentration of tourists in a handful of parks creates immense pressure on their infrastructure and natural habitats.
While parks such as Yala are overwhelmed, the National Audit Office’s review highlights significant inaction and neglect in developing other sites, which could otherwise help distribute the tourist load. 
For instance, the museum at Minneriya Park, intended to educate visitors, is reportedly not in a suitable condition for viewing. In the nearby Kaudulla National Park, the Manik Sorowwa Bungalow has yet to open to tourists despite funds being allocated for its development. Even highly visited sites are not immune; the report points to a failure to update facilities at Horton Plains, where sanitary facilities in particular remain in a fragile state.
These issues are compounded by a lack of fundamental amenities essential for a positive visitor experience. Tourists in both Minneriya and Kaudulla face difficulties in obtaining drinking water, a basic requirement for any tourism destination. The failure to invest in and maintain such facilities makes these parks less attractive, funnelling even more visitors towards the already saturated premier parks. This vicious cycle, overcrowding in one area and underdeveloped in another, undermines the entire wildlife tourism ecosystem.
Underpinning these development and management failures is a severe human resource crisis within the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The 2024 report reveals a staggering vacancy of 930 positions from an approved cadre of 2,820. This nearly 33 percent staff shortage directly impacts the department’s ability to effectively manage its protected areas, oversee development projects, and implement conservation strategies. Without adequate personnel, addressing the infrastructural deficits highlighted by the audit and managing the environmental impact of heavy tourist traffic becomes an insurmountable challenge, jeopardising the long-term sustainability of one of Sri Lanka’s most valuable natural assets.