COLOMBO — After a 15-year long legal battle, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has put a stop to a controversial road construction project extending from Puttalam in the North West to Northern Mannar, technically running through Wilpattu National Park, the country’s oldest and largest protected area. Conservationists have lauded the ruling as a landmark victory — not just for Wilpattu, but for protected areas across Sri Lanka facing increasing threats from unregulated infrastructure development, including road construction.

The project involved the upgrading of an existing rudimentary road, which links Puttalam district in North Western province with Mannar district in Northern province. Historically, this road existed in a basic form until 1983, when it was closed due to Sri Lanka’s civil war. During the violent conflict, the road served as a military supply and access route. After the war ended in 2009, the government proposed redeveloping the road for public use as it would shorten the distance from Puttalam to Mannar by 30-50 kilometers (18-30 miles).

However, environmentalists swiftly warned against the reopening of the road, as it could fragment critical elephant and leopard habitats, violating the legal protections of the national park and opening the door to further encroachment and habitat loss.

Recognizing the environmental sensitivity that should not be disturbed, several organizations filed complaints beginning in 2010, triggering a long and complex legal battle. In a major relief to conservationists, the island’s attorney general informed the Supreme Court in early May that the government wished to officially abandon the project.

“This is a historic win not only for Wilpattu, but for all of Sri Lanka’s conservation areas,” says Manori Gunawardena, a wildlife scientist and director at the Environmental Foundation Ltd., a key environmental group involved in the case.

“Protected areas are not just designated spaces; they are essential ecological sanctuaries, legally established to safeguard wildlife, habitats and the well-being of future generations. This ruling reinforces the critical role of legal advocacy in environmental protection during an era when natural ecosystems face unprecedented threats,” Gunawardena told Mongabay.

Broader pattern of conflict

The court ruling came at a crucial moment, just weeks after Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake pledged at an election rally to reopen the Wilpattu road — a promise that sparked a strong backlash from environmentalists, who condemned the move as a politically motivated threat to the integrity of protected areas.

The Wilpattu matter is not an isolated one. Across Sri Lanka, numerous road projects increasingly clash with conservation priorities. The Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, saw villagers and activists protesting in 2020 against a road expansion plan that threatened the pristine rainforest. Similarly, environmentalists protested against a road project slicing through the Thalangama Wetland, one of Colombo’s last remaining urban wetlands, warning that the road would fragment this sensitive ecosystem and cause long-term ecological damage.

“Roads are often promoted as tools for development but are frequently politically motivated and ecologically harmful,” said Hemantha Withanage, senior adviser to the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ). “They open fragile ecosystems to encroachment, poaching, immediately increasing human-wildlife conflicts,” Withanage told Mongabay.

Backing the notion that roads have undeniable impacts when they run through environmentally sensitive areas is a study by Dishane Hewavithana of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami, which records responses of birds to linear structures such as roads. She found that endemic Sri Lankan species actively avoid linear infrastructure such as roads, railways and power lines. Her study shows how invasive or globally naturalized species are more likely to thrive near these structures, altering natural biodiversity patterns highlighting how roads cause problems in protected areas.

Hewavithana’s separate research on wildlife roadkills on public roads that cut across dry zone habitats showed that reptiles and amphibians are among the most common victims, but even large mammals such as elephants, leopards and bears have been killed on such roads. She warns that roads across rich wilderness areas like Wilpattu would turn into death traps for wildlife.

Long-term importance

Wilpattu is Sri Lanka’s largest national park covering approximately 131,000 hectares (324,000 acres) and is home to key species such as leopards, elephants, sloth bears and numerous endemic birds and reptiles. It is also Sri Lanka’s oldest national park and was established as a sanctuary in 1905 and designated a national park in 1938.

However, Wilpattu remained largely closed from 1988 to 2003 due to violent conflict in the northern region. The park is renowned for its unique “willus,” which are natural sand-rimmed water basins that fill with rainwater, sustaining diverse flora and fauna throughout the dry spells.

Beyond its ecological richness, Wilpattu holds deep historical and archaeological significance. The park contains ancient Buddhist stupas and ruins connected to early Sri Lankan civilization. These cultural layers add further value to their conservation needs.

Post-war pressures

Following the war’s end in 2009, the Wilpattu forest complex, including the adjacent Kallaru forest area, came under severe pressure from human resettlement requirements and development needs. Efforts to resettle displaced communities in these forested lands sparked deforestation, illegal land clearing and public outrage. In 2015, the CEJ filed a case challenging environmentally harmful moves. In a landmark ruling in 2023, the Court of Appeal ordered the reforestation of cleared lands and emphasized the need to balance humanitarian resettlement with environmental conservation and legal compliance.

Research by the University of Sri Jayewardanepura further highlights ongoing human encroachment within the 1.6-km (1-mi) Wilpattu buffer zone, spanning 33,147 hectares (81,908 acres). Researcher Upul Kumara said that analysis of satellite data showed nearly 9,190 hectares (22,700 acres) of this buffer zone have been converted for agriculture, housing and road construction, signaling expanding human impact and ongoing threats to park integrity.

Meanwhile, another structure, the Pallekandal Church, located within the Wilpattu National Park, too, has become a subject of significant controversy due to its expansion and activities within a protected area. Originally a modest jungle shrine, this has gradually transformed itself into a large church complex with permanent structures that led to increased human activity, particularly during annual religious festivals. Environmental organizations filed action to seek redress.

Withanage is thankful that the recent ruling on the road expansion through Wilpattu sends a clear message that development cannot override the legal protections of national parks and other conservation areas. It also underscores the judiciary’s crucial role in enforcing environmental laws, particularly when political interests drive such moves.

“Wilpattu is a symbol of resistance and resilience,” Withanage said. “But many other ecosystems may not be so fortunate unless we fundamentally rethink how we plan and implement development projects in ecologically sensitive areas,” he told Mongabay.

Two leopards stroll along a gravel road in Wilpattu. Banner image courtesy of Mevan Piyasena.

Citations:

Hewavithana, D. K., Weerakoon, D. K., Wijesinghe, M. R., & Searcy, C. A. (2025). Linear infrastructure drives biotic homogenization among bird species of a tropical dry forest. PLOS ONE, 20(4), e0302756. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0302756

Kumara, U.I., Jayawardana, D.T., & Gunathilake, B.M. (2024). Application of Geospatial technology to assess pressures and threats to nature related to human activities in Wilpattu National Park. Proceedings of International Forestry and Environment Symposium, 28. doi:10.31357/fesympo.v28.7026