Lahugala Kitulana National Park

Lahugala Kitulana National Park

Lahugala Kitulana National Park (Sinhala: ලාහුගල-කිතුලාන ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය) is a national park situated in the basin of the Heda Oya in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It is considered one of the smallest national parks in the country (Green, 1990). History The park was originally established as a sanctuary on 1 July 1966 and was designated as a national park on 31 October 1980 (Green, 1990). Physical features & climate The total area of the park is 1,554 ha (Ahamed, 2015; Green, 1990; Santiapillai, 1997). It contains the reservoirs of Lahugala, Kitulana and Sengamuwa and they are ultimately emptied into the Heda Oya river (Ahamed, 2015; Green, 1990). The mean annual rainfall of the area is about 1,650 mm and the Northeast monsoon persists from the months of November to December (Ahamed, 2015; Green, 1990). Two dry periods last from May to October and January to March (Ahamed, 2015; Green, 1990). The national park’s vegetation is classified into Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests (Aham…