Last June, 2666 hectares of land bordering the park was declared the Bundala-Wilmanne sanctuary.
Migrant Paradise
Though in an arid region of the country, high rainfall flood the region at the tail-end of the year, readying the wetlands for an annual migration of tens of thousands of birds that fly into Sri Lanka from places as far away as Mongolia and Siberia from late August.
Bundala has habitat suitable for forest birds and waders. About two thirds of the park is covered in brackish lagoons, salt pans and inter-tidal mudflats.
At the height of the migrant season, thousands of ducks, terns as well as larger birds like flamingoes visit the wetland, supported by the explosion of life that rains bring.
Among the flowers that bloom in the reserve is the beautiful yellow flower of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia dillenii). Grey langurs eat its fruit.
Creeping Invasion
But its negative fallount is sinister. It is an alien invasive species that is chocking out native flora and endangering the fauna that is dependant on it.
Dense impenetrable stands of cacti are spreading across the jungle, along lagoons and shores of water bodies; blocking access even to large mammals like elephants.
"About one third of the park areas is terrestrial," Park Warden Sisira de Silva told LBO. "And all of it either has cactus or Prosopis or both."
Prosopis juliflora, a species of Mesquite, locally known as 'kalapu andara' is spreading all over the southern province, and inside Bundala reserve.
It is a leguminous shrubby tree that requires little water or nutrients to grow and has been suggested as a candidate fuel source for dendro energy.
The tree grows fast, displacing native trees, especially fruity shrubs that support bird life. In places, prickly pear can be seen growing under Prosopis juliflora, fighting for supremacy.
Defence
Sri Lanka's cash-strapped Department of Wildlife Conservation has been fighting the invasion with what weapons it has.
A few years ago it cleared some parts of the reserve with funds from the Asian Development Bank.
Now the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka has joined the battle with the help of Sri Lanka's private sector.
"I saw the Bundala park being taken over by invasive plants," says nature photographer Sarinda Unamboowe, who heads Linea Aqua, a swimwear unit of the Sri Lanka's MAS apparel group.
"Each year when I visited, it was getting worse. So we decided to do something about it."
The nature-lovers at MAS Linea Aqua set an initial target of clearing 60 acres of park land.
It costs 110,000 rupees to clear one hectare of alien vegetation, inclusive of labour and of hiring a bulldozer for three days.
Joint Effort
"We employ local people to clear the land," says Sheena Samsudeen, who co-ordinates the project from Linea Acqua side.
"So the villages nearby are also involved. There is a village society dedicated to protecting the Park."
The Bundala Urumaya Surakeeme Sanvidanaya (Organization for the protection of the Bundala heritage) provides manpower.
The land is cleared under the direction of Wildlife officers.
After clearing the land, a watch has to be kept to stamp out plants that spring back.
"We maintain it by getting people to dig out any young plants that come up," says Samsudeen.
At first Linea Aqua cleared nine acres.
Funding for a further six hectares came from the ODEL, a fashion and apparel department store in Colombo, which is concerned with protecting nature.
Others have followed suit. Hatton National Bank, Commercial Leasing, and another two firms, Zero 3 Images and Metric have joined the battle.
"We haven't actually marketed this project among the private sector," says Unamboowe.
"But we have to protect the national park and we hope others will join to take this forward."
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