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Construction of Colombo Bird Park is now underway 

11 Jul 2021

It was announced at the end of June, that construction work has begun on the Colombo Bird Park. The construction is under the patronage of State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Community Cleanliness Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, who stated that this new development is in accordance with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour initiative.  He stated that several projects have commenced in Colombo to attract both domestic and foreign tourists, which include wetland parks, urban forest parks, and urban agricultural parks, and the Colombo Bird Park is but one step in an overall plan to attract tourists to Sri Lanka. The park is to be built on 39 acres of marshy land in Madiwela owned by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), with the objective of turning it into a global tourist attraction.  In a statement issued by the Ministry, it was shared that the project will be undertaken by the UDA and is planning to use a 39-acre land in Madiwela for the project. The Ministry statement provided that the Park is built to protect the wetlands and to maintain its direct connection with the Diyawanna Oya, and State Minister Godahewa adding that “the Colombo Bird Park is being built for the benefit of the future”.  Brunch spoke to UDA Assistant Landscape Architect Pasan Fernando, who shared further details about the project saying that the wetlands in their current state are a sad sight. He noted that the surrounding areas are pumping sewage into the land, there is an excess of waste water due to the connection of sewage systems to the canals flowing through the wetland and unauthorised filling, mounds of scattered garbage, and unauthorised encroachment by residents happening on site. It is in dire need of serious conservation efforts.  The proposed bird park is somewhat similar to what we see in the famous Jurong Bird Park in Singapore, Asia’s Largest Bird Paradise. Fernando said that while it will not be entirely similar, there are certain elements that are somewhat akin to Jurong, particularly the fact that they hope to create a bird sanctuary, and in the special guidelines that have been developed, which have been newly introduced in light of this project, on top of the pre-existing Metro Colombo Wetland Management Strategy, it is stated that the private contractor who has taken on the project must adhere to certain strict instructions which ensure the conservation of the wetlands.  Further supporting Fernando’s statement, UDA Director of Real Estate Anura Prasanna stated that the objective is to protect the wetlands and that there are various models they can suggest as examples, including the Birds Research Centre in Hambantota.  Prasanna went on to say that the project is based on a 30-year lease, whose value is determined by the Chief Government Assessor, adding that an experienced private sector investor was selected for the project in accordance with the Government procurement guidelines to construct the park on a Design, Build, Finance, and Operate basis.  Prasanna also said that what has been proposed is to complete all constructions in a manner to protect the Madiwela Wetland, which is currently being destroyed, and to develop only 2% of the wetland while the rest of the land will be developed in an eco-friendly manner in accordance with the design plan of the park.  There are safeguards in place to ensure that the conservation efforts are followed through, he said, sharing that the developer, who is allowed to only fill 2% of the land, must submit his design which must then get approved by numerous authorities, which is a safeguard that has been put in place to guarantee the safety of the wetlands. He said that the master plan of the project requires that the developer goes through authorities like the Sri Lanka Parliament, Central Environmental Authority, Department of Wildlife Conservation, Road Development Authority, the SLRD Planning and Development Services Department, the Department of National Zoological Gardens, Department of Agrarian Development, Department of Irrigation, etc.  The Park, which is to be completed by 2025, is planned to be a fully-fledged wetland park with bird shows, exotic and local bird watching opportunities, water parks, forest parks, and restaurants.  As is expected with regards to conservation efforts that are initiated by the Government, which are also associated with private parties who stand to generate a profit, there are many who have been sceptical of the initiative. Particularly environmentalists who have explored the wetlands in question dedicated their efforts to conserve the wetlands, those who have a vested interest in the outcome of this project.  Environmentalist Jayantha Wijesinghe, the convener for the Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka, shared with us his concerns about the project; stating that considering where Sri Lanka is at now, being in debt and the numerous financial challenges. We should be in a “conservation/preservation/reservation mode”, rather than these attempts to expand in this manner. It is as if you invest the very meagre funds you have on reserve to survive on frivolous pursuits, when in fact you must only draw into your remaining resources when you are certain you may not need it for an emergency.  He stated that it feels as though once another project with absolutely no analysis into the eventual fruits it will bear and the immediacy of those returns. He added also that most often we see the Government use the excuse of encroachment when they wish to construct on Government-owned lands, which is “absurd” he said, stating there are far simpler solutions to protect Government-owned property than leasing the property off for commercial purposes.  He also stated that apart from this tourism explanation, there is a general lack of transparency in this project, which is reason for alarm, making note of the lack of a feasibility study and the availability of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure. These concerns were also seconded by Melani Gunathilake, Environmentalist and founding member of Climate Action Sri Lanka, who shared also that there are concerns with the tendering process, and lack of these prior assessments.  Wijesinghe also questioned what our priorities really are with regards to tourism development, saying that we are promoting our resources, our central hills, national parks, the beaches, our waterfalls, our wildlife, but he said that he does not understand this concept of creating a space for exotic birds and constructed parks.  He said that if you take someone who wishes to see exotic birds, there are plenty of sanctuaries around the world for them to go access this service, it is unlikely that Sri Lanka would be on top of mind recall for such purposes and he took the example of the Hambantota Bird Park, which is largely frequented by local tourists, who have no other opportunity to see exotic birds.  A similar sentiment was expressed by Gunathilake stating that many of the developments appear to be focused on beautification, and these superficial expectations rather than the conservation of the Wetlands, and it simply feels like an unwanted initiative to which Wijesinghe also added his thoughts; sharing that there are many concerns surround these alterations of natural habitats.  He said that these numerous jogging tracks and walking paths built around Colombo are all surrounding the natural wetlands, and what is happening is that natural mangroves and these habitats are disappearing. “I have seen for myself, in Bellanwila, the porcupines and other species who were there in that area are no longer to be seen, simply because there is too much human activity and a lack of greenery. The wetland environment is completely different to a man built tank, lake or a reservoir,” he said. Wijesinghe said that we have meddled in these natural habitats enough, it is time that we let them heal on their own, then the habitat will not have space to live peacefully.


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