Anawilundawa Wetland
The Anawilundawa Wetand Sanctuary (Sinhala: ආනවිළුන්දාව තෙත්බිම) is one of the Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka . It is situated between the coast and the Negombo-Puttalam railway, in Puttalam District. The wetland has been identified as one of the most important habitats for residential as well as migratory aquatic avifauna in the country (Indika & Mahaulpatha, 2015). History Due to the rich bird diversity, the Department of Wildlife Conservation designated Anawilundawa a sanctuary on 11 June 1997, under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance through a government Gazette notification published under the no. 979/15 (Rodrigo et al., 2008).
Based on the unique biodiversity, cultural heritage, functional value as a feeding ground, the Anawilundawa wetland was recognized as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on 3 August 2001 (Begam, 2015; Rodrigo et al., 2008). It is the second Ramsar site in the country (Indika & Mahaulpatha, 2015). The wetland The wetland ex…
