Kalametiya Lagoon Bird Sanctuary

Kalametiya Lagoon
Kalametiya Lagoon Bird Sanctuary, also known as Lunama-Kalametiya Wetland Sanctuary (Sinhala: කලමැටිය කලපු කුරුළු අභයභූමිය), is one of the Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the south coast, about 20 km west of Hambantota town. The Bata Atha Agro Technology Park is located close to this lagoon.

History
The area had been originally a sanctuary by 1940 but the designation was removed in 1946 because of opposition from locals (Green, 1990). However, due to a prolonged campaign by conservation bodies, the area was re-designated as a sanctuary on 28 June 1984 (Green, 1990).

Physical features & Climate
Birds at Kalametiya lagoon
The total area of the sanctuary is 712 ha and it is a popular wetland for birds (Green, 1990). The wetland comprises two lagoons namely Kalametiya and Lunama located west of the mouth of the Walawe Ganga River (Green, 1990). The smaller Lunama Lagoon covers 192 ha and the Kalametiya Lagoon about 606 ha (Ekanayake et al., 2005). The Kalametiya lagoon opens to the sea by a narrow man-made outlet and is connected to the Lunama lagoon through a shallow, 2 km man-made channel (Ekanayake et al., 2005). Both lagoons are fed by the Kuchchigal Ara and are surrounded by mangrove vegetation (Ekanayake et al., 2005; Green, 1990). 

The receives an annual rainfall of 1000 - 1250 mm, and experiences two distinct dry spells, in February and July-August. The mean air temperature is about 27 ˚C (Ekanayake et al., 2005).
References
1) Ekanayake, S.P., Bambaradeniya, C.N., Perera, W.P.N., Perera, M.S.J., Rodrigo, R.K., Samarawickrama, V.A.M.P.K. and Peiris, T.N., 2005. A biodiversity status profile of Lunama-Kalametiya wetland sanctuary. Occasional paper, 8. IUCN, Sri Lanka. pp.1-43.
2) Green, M.J.B. ed., 1990. IUCN directory of South Asian protected areas. IUCN. pp.222-224.

Location Map
This page was last updated on 12 October 2023
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