Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-12-13

Declaration of the Lunugamvehera National Park as the Yala Zone No. VI

- The “Lunugamvehera National Park” has been declared in 1995 as a habitat for migratory elephants between the Eastern Reserve of the Yala and a part in the western area of the Udawalawa National Park in the extent of 23,499 hectares. This National Park possesses the climatic features similar to those in the Yala National Park and the species inhabitant in both National Parks are also similar. Therefore, the proposal made by the Minister of Wildlife & Forest Conservation to declare the Lunugamvehera National Park as the Yala Zone No. VI, instead of maintaining them as two separate National Parks with similar climatic features, biodiversity and environmental features, was approved by the Cabinet.