Last week The Sunday Observer reported on the forest fire that devastated 20 acres in a nature reserve close to Ella.
Forest fires are frequent at this time of the year due to dry weather following the end of the monsoon, a spokesman for the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said that it reported eleven incidents of forest fires in protected areas in 2025.
According to the DMC, forest fires are mostly as a result of human activity such as poaching and encroachment.
The DMC said forest fires can only be mitigated with public help by way of vigilant committees and taking legal action against violators.
In the case of Ella, there is concern that the town is sacrificing its pristine natural surroundings for short-term benefits brought about by the tourism boom.
The quaint hamlet in the Badulla District has become popular among foreign and local travellers. Nearby attractions such as the Nine Arch Bridge and the Ravana Ella Wildlife Sanctuary have been dubbed Sri Lanka’s most “instragramable” spots.
Ella – a small city
One environmentalist speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the Ravana Ella Wildlife Sanctuary which comes under the Department of Wildlife Conservation has suffered years of deforestation, encroachment and poaching. The Kinigama Reserve Forest which also comes under the Department of Forest Conservation is not a protected area that has much in terms of a natural ecosystem.
Nevertheless, penalties can be imposed when anybody breaches either legislative enactments; the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance or the Forest Protection Ordinance.
Ella by night
The issue here, he said is that the Ella town has undergone a huge economic boom in tourism. “I don’t even recognise the town when I visited it in many years later; it was a small hamlet before, now it’s a city,” he said, adding that now there is so much commercial activities.
With this boom there has been an upsurge of illicit activities such as encroachment, land grabbing and a market for bush meat. “The DMC and the Department of Wildlife Conservation are looking into this,” he said and added that forest fires are being set off intentionally and that the authorities were turning a blind eye to it. The President of the Sri Lanka Eco Tourism Association, Kelum Fernando said that Sri Lanka has a huge market for green-tourism and Ella is being identified as one of the few places on the planet with impeccably clean air, has given that much more credence.
“Ella gained a lot of traction thanks to travel influencers and Youtubers,” he said adding that the forests surrounding Ella are being cleared by opportunists looking to cash-in on the tourism boom.
Ninety percent of those in the industry are aware of the importance of bio-diversity and protecting the environment, but the problem is with this shortsighted ten percent who only care about developing their businesses, he said.
“Once we lose our scenic beauty, the pristine environment won’t be attractive to visitors anymore. And, frequent fires will make tourists think twice about their safety travelling here”, he said.
Ella has so many attractions such as waterways, waterfalls, archaeological sites and hiking trails; all these are in danger due to forest fires. It’s not just limited to Ella, threats to eco-tourism and the mainstream tourism industry facing environmental destruction have been well documented around the country.
Biodiversity hotspot
Sri Lanka is among the 34 biodiversity hotspots identified in the world and has the highest biodiversity per unit area of land in the Asian region. This not only indicates a high rate of biodiversity, but also indicates that it‘s more vulnerable and needs to be given high conservation priority.
“This is why we implore the authorities to develop eco-tourism and highlight the importance of eco-tourism to all stakeholders in the industry”, he said.
Almost every round-tour includes an element of nature or wildlife and a very significant percentage of the tourism industry relies on being able to offer travellers an experience of nature or wildlife. According to Fernando, these tours pass through Ella taking the Ella-Wellawaya road to the Yala National Park.
“Now landslides around Ella and soil erosion were common,” he said and added that although these problems were small, they can snowball into bigger issues that will affect our national economy in time to come”, Fernando said.
A great deal of work should be done to build awareness on eco-tourism. “The Wildlife and Forest Conservation Department’s scope is limited, so we need the media to do the needful,” he said adding that preaching to the public was an ineffective approach. Instead of saying ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that’ we should teach people about the consequences of destroying the environment,” he said.
SLTDA Report 2024
According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority’s (SLTDA) Year in Review 2024 report, Sri Lanka’s conservation forests saw a majority of domestic visitors (67 percent), while international tourists (33 percent) contributed 84 percent tourism revenue. The Knuckles Conservation Forest attracted the highest number of local visitors, while the Hurulu Eco Park was the top choice for foreign tourists.
Despite Sri Lanka’s strong eco-tourism appeal, lesser-known forests such as Nuwaragala and Kottawa remain underutilised. Top revenue-generating reserves, including Hurulu, Sinharaja, and Knuckles thrive due to their rich biodiversity and strategic locations near major tourist sites. Expanding tourism to lesser-visited forests could ease congestion in overcrowded parks and boost sustainable tourism.
A 2023 study on impact assessment and sustainable practices in Sri Lanka tourism highlighted practical sustainability strategies for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, emphasising their role in making the country a truly sustainable travel destination.
“Poor land use planning, indiscriminate exploitation of biological resources, weak enforcement of legislation, pollution, the human-wildlife conflict, an increasing spread of invasive species and increasing human population density are some of these threats,” it stated.
The report suggests that the measures, stakeholders can implement to ensure suitability such as providing guests with information on how to travel responsibly, respecting nature and following best practices when interacting with wildlife. Building relationships with nature or wildlife conservation projects and local State offices related to conservation. Planting indigenous or native species in one’s premises was vital.
“Ensure your built footprint is minimal and supports habitat of the wildlife present (e.g., wildlife-friendly lighting plans). Stop promoting the removal of wild plants and animals, use protected species for food/drink, showing/exhibiting of wildlife species, trading of wildlife species, or selling articles originally made from wildlife products. Advising guests not to take part in activities which harm animals, including riding elephants. Experience first-hand all the excursions, such as nature walks, bird watching tours and other wildlife experiences in your area so that one can make suggestions and recommendations.
Hunting on the decline
The Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Ranjan Marasinghe said that tourism is not driving the demand for bush meat and that the Department carries frequent raids on hotels and restaurants. “Hunting and eating bush meat is an age-old practice so we made many arrests annually but the practice has gone into decline compared with the past 20 years,” he said. However, animals such as wild boar are hunted frequently because they are seen as more like vermin by farmers more than game.
An incident last month, where a dog fighting a leopard in a National Park created a huge outcry among the public, sparking concerns as to whether the tourism industry had degenerated to use dogs as ‘bait’ to lure leopards to entertain guests.
Marasinghe said that this was fake news and safari drivers do not use dogs as bait for leopards. “These National Parks are large and don’t have ‘walls’; they are bordered by villages and farmlands. We try our best to prevent other animals from straying into National Parks. In this case, it was a dog guarding a chena cultivation that had strayed into the park. This is not unusual. We are not desperate to use a dog to lure a leopard.
Ella’s rapid tourism-driven expansion highlights the delicate balance between economic growth and environmental conservation. While eco-tourism presents immense opportunities, unregulated development, deforestation and illicit activities such as poaching and land grabbing pose severe risks. Experts emphasized the need for stronger enforcement, public awareness, and sustainable tourism strategies to protect Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. Without proactive intervention, the country risks losing its natural treasures, undermining its long-term appeal as a top eco-tourism destination.
