• Plain madness
• A book love story
• Let's just do it
• Ferocious passion floats into the surreal
• Kala Korner By Dee Cee
• Of gods and demons
• Linking research with the end user
• Playing God or merely 'assisting' nature?
• Justice and the child victim
• Appreciations
• Heritage of the Hercules
• To whom does the child belong?
• Take a vote and get a new home
• Playing their usual game of double standards!
• Fasting their last chance
• Letters to the editor

Plain madness

It was midday and we were stuck in a traffic jam. Two vehicles had met face to face on the narrow road and each refused to back down. Behind them, the line of waiting vehicles lengthened with each passing minute, making the situation worse. Irate drivers killed their engines and milled around trying to figure out a way to manoeuvre out of the block. At least most had the sense to hold their horns. It was the long weekend at Horton Plains.

Before us was a trail of parked vehicles, all along the main road that skirts the gently rolling plains to the Wildlife Department Office and beyond. The hostile steel of the vehicles gleaming in the noonday

Traffic jam: the sight that met visitors' last Sunday

sun contrasted sharply with the tranquil vistas of the country's most unique national park.

At the gate the Wildlife Department officials were overwhelmed. The ticketing counters were full. The gate was crowded. Where one would normally see sambhur, was a mass of humanity in picnic mood. Along the wayside people were cooking and sili sili bags were floating in the wind, despite notices to avoid dumping plastic.

Inside the national park people were happily trespassing into the plains for photographs. A group was in the midst of a full-fledged game of cricket- wickets anchored firmly into the grassy plains.

Ordinarily national park rules are very strict. Enter any of the country's wildlife parks and each vehicle is accompanied by a tracker who controls visitors' conduct inside the protected area. The rules are laid down. No disembarking from the vehicle. No walking up to wildlife. No flash bulbs. No tooting horns. No shooting at animals. Not even a blade of grass can you pick up from the designated area.

But at Horton Plains, the rule is to disregard all rules. Since people are allowed to walk inside this national park- from Farr Inn to World's End, there's little chance of officials maintaining control. Once they are through the gate at Farr Inn, visitors virtually have the plains to themselves. All along the track to World's End are signs of uncontrolled tourism - flower and twig plucked and discarded, polythene biscuit packets and water bottles, smashed glass bottles- names scribbled on trees and rocks. On holidays, add to this, masses of singing, dancing and merrymaking crowds and you have the picture.

The ecological significance of this 7000 ft. plateau with its unique environment is lost on most casual visitors to Horton Plains. Judging from their behaviour within the plains, they seem to consider the national park no better than Galle Face, Peradeniya Gardens or the Zoo. In fact, many people behave worse in the confines of the plains than they would in recreation spots in the cities.

The Wildlife Department has maintained that the plains are a national treasure and visitors cannot be restricted. But, one wonders, how long the 'national treasure' would be able to withstand the abuse that is being meted out.

Farr Inn, the historic landmark built by English planter Sir Thomas Farr that stands at the gateway to the plains was acquired by the Wildlife Department some months ago. The Department last year announced plans to convert the former Rest House to a visitor centre, much to the consternation of wildlife enthusiasts.

"The Department's new visitor centre at Bundala is hardly ever used. The centre is totally neglected and is just another office at the gate," says veteran wildlife photographer and member of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society, Nihal Fernando. "Visitor centres are a waste of money." Mr. Fernando says Horton Plains cannot be properly protected as a national park as the roadway to two large tea estates runs through it. He suggests that all visitors be given a leaflet explaining the importance of this unique eco-system. Entry to the park should be restricted to a limited number of vehicles per half day, he said.

Other wildlife enthusiasts suggest the Department relocate its ticketing counters to a point further on and provide ample parking here. Then run a shuttle service with a guide to explain to visitors the wonders of Horton Plains, its plants and animals, its bubbling springs that feed the country's main rivers, its beauty and the need to protect it. This way the merry-makers will be discouraged from visiting it. Others suggest that a higher fee be levied to keep the crowds away.

It is imperative, though, that a solution be found. Recently the Department gazetted new park gates on the Pattipola and Ohiya roads, several kilometres before the gate to give added protection to the park and its environs. But these gates are not functioning yet. Moreover, they are shoddily built and the Department has asked the contractor to reconstruct them. Secondly, the locations are lonely and staff do not want to collect money at such unprotected spots.

Solutions to the Horton Plains' problem of over crowding are relatively simple, if implemented correctly. The Department should first stop looking at any proposed measures as ways of cutting off the common man from enjoying a national heritage. That should not be the case at all. These methods should be used as in many other countries to control visitors to sensitive areas. A good solution would ensure that only nature lovers and those with due respect for conservation, enter the park. It would also ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy Horton Plains as we see it today.

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