It is no secret that our relationship with Sri Lanka’s national park is complicated, to say the least. 2020 was a horrible year for wildlife and ecological conservation. We saw records breaking when it came to elephant and leopard deaths (approximately 400 and 13, respectively), as well as thousands of acres of land encroached on for various reasons, from farming to urban development.
2021 has not been calmer, and earlier this week, reports came from concerned conservationists that treasure-hunting activities were being carried out in parts of Maduru Oya Park, namely in the Gurukumbura and Delkathithuduwa areas. Maduru Oya National Park in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province provides a sanctuary to wildlife in the Ampara, Badulla, and Polonnaruwa areas, especially for elephants, and protects the immediate catchments of five reservoirs.
In addition to its ecological role as a national park, Maduru Oya is also a park with high cultural and archaeological importance. Early Brahmi inscriptions from the First to Third Century AD have been discovered there as well as remains of Buddhist ruins of shrines, temples, dagobas, statues, and hermitages from various periods of Sri Lankan history.
These reports drew great concern on several grounds; for one, encroaching on or trespassing in national parks is a serious offense and is punishable by law under the provisions of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), while the looting of archaeological sites is illegal under Sri Lanka’s Antiquities Ordinance; for another, with inter-provincial travel restrictions in effect, how did vehicles from other provinces gain access to the park? (Reports indicate vehicles from the Central and Western Provinces were seen in the park).
Brunch reached out to the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Sri Lanka (WNPS) for a little more insight. A spokesperson from WNPS shared with us that these alleged treasure hunters were first noticed last Sunday (18) and that after these sightings were published on social media, the vehicles and people in question are no longer present and are believed to have snuck out of the park.
Commenting further on the historical value of the Maduru Oya National Park and why it is a likely draw for treasure hunters, the spokesperson explained that while there are fewer people in Maduru Oya from a tourism perspective (both eco and cultural), there is a special forces camp that conducts their training within the boundaries of the park, as well a Veddah community within the park. “There is a lot of activity that happens in the park, and treasure hunters can get away with their activities because the DWC (Department of Wildlife Conservation) officials may sometimes not know who they are.”
Addressing the concerns raised, DWC Director – Operations Ranjan Marasinghe shared with Brunch that these sightings were not confirmed to be that of treasure hunters and that the DWC was still investigating to get to the root of the matter.
But what is treasure hunting?
“Treasure hunting”, to put it simply in this context, is the digging up of archaeological and ecological sites in search of historical artefacts and other items of value (like gems for instance) that can be sold locally or internationally for a price. Leaving aside the Indiana Jones/Aladdin aspect of treasure hunting, part of why treasure hunting is a concern from an ecological perspective is because of the damage it can do to the environment and wildlife around it. Marasinghe shared that treasure hunters are not always after archaeological artefacts, but sometimes natural resources like gems, often causing irreparable damage by doing things like blasting rocks.
Since 2018, there has been an average of 325 cases of treasure hunting reported a year, not just within the boundaries of national parks but overall.
Department of Archaeology Director General Prof. Anura Manatunga explained that heritage and historical sites within national parks are afforded a higher degree of protection because they are regularly monitored by the DWC who have the authority to arrest trespassers and treasure hunters under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance for illegal entry and activity within a national park. Prof. Manatunga noted that treasure hunters outside these parks are somewhat uncontrollable because these sites outside national parks, especially those in heavily wooded areas, are very difficult to keep watch on.
Prof. Manatunga shared that treasure hunters are a huge problem for archaeologists because they destroy heritage and historical sites looking for treasure. The other biggest challenge for archaeologists preserving history is development projects, with Prof. Manatunga noting that while we do need to proceed with development projects, it needs to be balanced, which is something many don’t seem to understand.
With treasure hunters, Prof. Manatunga noted that their prime motivation is finding things that can be sold quickly and easily. “Mainly, they think there are treasures like gems and gold or similar at these sites. Some people have already cheated various businessmen saying that there are these types of treasures in order to get money,” he said. “Some treasure hunters do it for black market antique trading. The main reason is that people are going after money and damaging our antiquities to do so.”
The legality of treasure hunting
Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardana shared with Brunch that anyone entering a national park needs permission from the DWC that is issued under Section 5 of the FFPO which states: “No person shall enter or remain within any national park except under the authority and in accordance with the conditions of a permit issued by the prescribed officer on payment of the prescribed fee.” Gunawardana also noted that permits can only be issued for only studying and observing wildlife and enjoying the aesthetic of the place. No permission is ever given for other activities like digging earth for treasure, the extraction of any forest produce, or taking any animal or part of any animal.
Anyone engaging in any of these activities is committing an offence under the FFPO and can be apprehended by the DWC under Section 6 of the FFPO which prohibits any destructive behaviour to the environment or the wildlife, or possessing the equipment to do so. Gunawardana also noted that people conducting illegal activities within a national park can be apprehended without a warrant by the Police, the DWC, and the Forest Department.
Commenting on the recent reports of alleged treasure hunters within the Maduru Oya National Park, Gunawardana said that he was not certain if the reports were true and had no first-hand information, but did note that there has been an overall upward trend in the recent past with illegal activities in other habitats, adding that he was of the view that some unscrupulous persons are taking undue advantage of the pandemic and the travel restrictions, and using this to conduct illegal activities.
Has Covid-19 seen our national parks become a hotbed for illegal activity?
When the pandemic first hit, it was something of a godsend for conservationists, particularly those worried about over-visitation and over-tourism in our national parks. The three-month islandwide lockdown from March-June 2020 was a living case study into animal behaviour, and the quality of animal sightings improving because of reduced human interference.
But has this lack of human interference become a double-edged sword? The WNPS shared that from their point of view, poaching activity and illegal entry into national parks have seen a marked increase over the last one-and-a-half years, with their spokesperson noting that poaching has increased threefold and is beginning to approach the level of a commercial, full-time operation. “In Wilpattu alone from February to July, the DWC has reported 15 raids of different poachers from different incidents and locations within the park,” the WNPS spokesperson said. “These are the ones they have been able to track and catch. Some poachers have been found camping inside the park. One can only imagine the scale of the poaching operation.”
DWC Director – Operations Marasinghe noted that while he couldn’t directly recognise an increase in poaching and illegal entry, the pandemic has seen more officials out in the field patrolling, and this increased alertness and patrolling has seen more cases of illegal activity being reported compared to ordinary days. Marasinghe also noted that a big factor in this increased activity is ordinary village folk, who have been deprived of income-generating opportunities, resorting to things like poaching to make ends meet, mostly hunting wild boar to sell as bushmeat.
Speaking on treasure hunting within national parks, Marasinghe noted that while it is not a frequent occurrence, reports of treasure hunting do surface every now and then. “Treasure hunting is usually done by big organisations,” Marasinghe said, adding: “There are treasure hunting efforts taking place but it is not significantly detectable and most of the time we manage to stop that kind of activity. I can’t say there’s been an increase, because to say that, it is something that should be happening very frequently over a long period.”
With Sri Lanka’s natural resources and biodiversity taking blow after blow, one can only hope that this reported incident of treasure hunting within the Maduru Oya National Park remains an unexpected albeit very concerning anomaly. The alternative is not one that is pleasant to comprehend. While Sri Lanka’s natural beauty and biodiversity is indeed a cave of wonders that can rival any fairy tale, it is not the kind that can stand to be plundered by any bandits, and it is our duty, as citizens and custodians of this bountiful natural resource for future generations, to prevent that from happening.
