Convert Mattala Airport into an Elephant Viewing Center.

  • by: Rahula gunasekera
  • recipient: Sri Lankan President and Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment; Maithripala Sirisena, Sri Lankan Minister of Aviation: Reginald Cooray, Minister of Tourism and Sport: Navin Dissanayake

The monthly payments on the US $210 million Chinese loan it took to build Mattala Airport and the US $2 million a month in maintenance costs is putting the Sri Lankan government under pressure to make Mattala airport a commercial success (5)(6).
However, since the airport is surrounded by elephant and wildlife habitat it cannot become a commercial success as an airport without putting the lives of 25% of Sri Lanka's wild elephants at risk. Any displacement of the elephants around Mattala Airport will have disastrous effects on elephant populations in surrounding national parks in Yala, Uda Walawe National Park and Bundala National Park (1).Besides the detrimental effect on elephants, other reasons to cease aviation activities at Mattala airport is that its only runway is a dangerous crosswind runway and the unusually high number of bird strikes suffered by aircraft at Mattala puts human lives at risk (9) (19).
Any effort to make Mattala Airport a commercial success has to involve the elephants in a constructive way (18). The elephants are the greatest asset in Southern Sri Lanka, arguably the biggest source of income in that area being from wildlife tourism. Yala National Park, adjoining Mattala Airport’s proposed Managed Elephant Range (MER) (2), brings in revenue over US $2million a year (3).For this trend to continue the safety of the southern elephant herds have to be assured.
The terminal building at Mattala Airport provides the perfect structure to observe wild elephants at close quarters. The elevated building, with large windows typical of airport terminals would allow visitors unprecedented viewing of elephants and other wildlife without the hazards associated with typical safaris to both wildlife and the visitors (12)(13)(14)(15).
Jetwings has a hotel in Yala (8), likewise there could be a Jetwings Mattala. Alternatively, Disney could potentially use the building as a wildlife hotel to capitalize on the success of the movie “The Monkey Kingdom” (11). For this to happen, the fence surrounding the airport will have to be removed and the tarmac and runway will have to be torn up and the habitat restored. The cost of this transition could be recovered by not having to maintain the tarmac, fences and runway and by the sale of aviation related equipment at the Mattala Airport or by transferring this equipment to the expansion of the Bandaranayke International Airport (4). The concrete and rebar from the tarmac and runway and the fencing can also be salvaged as part of the cost recovery process (16)(17) and International funds can be found for the habitat restoration of the tarmac and runway (10).
Yala National Park is finding it difficult to cope with more tourists without harming the wildlife that call the park home (7)(12)(13). Therefore, implementing a new national park in the proposed Mattala Managed Elephant Range (MER) with Mattala Terminal Building in the center acting as a hotel/wildlife research center/wildlife hospital is key to the future viability of the Southern National Parks.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFbWgsUIkGk
2. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/141109/news/jumbos-cry-for-a-home-on-the-range-126804.html
3. http://feosl.org/?p=187
4. http://www.airport.lk/news/20140907-1.php
5. http://aircraftbargains.com/cs/forums/13769/ShowThread.aspx
6. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2015/03/08/new26.asp
7. http://www.dw.de/global-ideas-tourism-wildlife-conservation-biodiversity/a-18335875
8. http://www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingyala/
9. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150104/news/bird-strikes-at-mria-and-bia-require-prompt-attention-civil-aviation-authority-129697.html
10. http://longpointbiosphere.com/Publications/Habitat%20Restoration/content.htm
11. http://nature.disney.com/monkey-kingdom
12. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17126895
13. http://www.eturbonews.com/33792/yala-ruined-its-own-popularity
14. http://www.emirates247.com/news/sri-lanka/mischievous-elephant-scares-tourists-2013-05-07-1.505552
15. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=87035
16. https://garverusa.com/iq/201023/27/reclaiming-water-and-revenue/
17. http://www.cement.org/for-concrete-books-learning/concrete-technology/concrete-design-production/recycled-aggregates
18. http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/news/sri-lanka-mega-projects-may-intensify-human-elephant-conflict:-researchers/2065769826

19.http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150628/news/why-mattala-could-not-take-off-heres-the-plane-truth-154888.html 

Dear President Maithripala Sirisena,


The monthly payments on the US $210 million loan it took to build Mattala Airport and the US $2 million a month in maintenance costs is putting the Sri Lankan government under pressure to make Mattala airport a commercial success (5)(6).
However, since the airport is surrounded by elephant and wildlife habitat it cannot become a commercial success as an airport without putting the lives of 25% of Sri Lanka's wild elephants at risk. Any displacement of the elephants around Mattala Airport will have disastrous effects on elephant populations in surrounding national parks in Yala, Uda Walawe National Park and Bundala National Park (1).Besides the detrimental effect on elephants, other reasons to cease aviation activities at Mattala airport is that its only runway is a dangerous crosswind runway and the unusually high number of bird strikes suffered by aircraft at Mattala puts human lives at risk (9) (19).
Any effort to make Mattala Airport a commercial success has to involve the elephants in a constructive way (18). The elephants are the greatest asset in Southern Sri Lanka, arguably the biggest source of income in that area being from wildlife tourism. Yala National Park, adjoining Mattala Airport’s proposed Managed Elephant Range (MER) (2), brings in revenue over US $2million a year (3).For this trend to continue the safety of the southern elephant herds have to be assured.
The terminal building at Mattala Airport provides the perfect structure to observe wild elephants at close quarters. The elevated building, with large windows typical of airport terminals would allow visitors unprecedented viewing of elephants and other wildlife without the hazards associated with typical safaris to both wildlife and the visitors (12)(13)(14)(15).
Jetwings has a hotel in Yala (8), likewise there could be a Jetwings Mattala. Alternatively, Disney could potentially use the building as a wildlife hotel to capitalize on the success of the movie “The Monkey Kingdom” (11). For this to happen, the fence surrounding the airport will have to be removed and the tarmac and runway will have to be torn up and the habitat restored. The cost of this transition could be recovered by not having to maintain the tarmac, fences and runway and by the sale of aviation related equipment at the Mattala Airport or by transferring this equipment to the expansion of the Bandaranayke International Airport (4). The concrete and rebar from the tarmac and runway and the fencing can also be salvaged as part of the cost recovery process (16)(17) and International funds can be found for the habitat restoration of the tarmac and runway (10).
Yala National Park is finding it difficult to cope with more tourists without harming the wildlife that call the park home (7)(12)(13). Therefore, implementing a new national park in the proposed Mattala Managed Elephant Range (MER) with Mattala Terminal Building in the center acting as a hotel/wildlife research center/wildlife hospital is key to the future viability of the Southern National Parks.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFbWgsUIkGk
2. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/141109/news/jumbos-cry-for-a-home-on-the-range-126804.html
3. http://feosl.org/?p=187
4. http://www.airport.lk/news/20140907-1.php
5. http://aircraftbargains.com/cs/forums/13769/ShowThread.aspx
6. http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2015/03/08/new26.asp
7. http://www.dw.de/global-ideas-tourism-wildlife-conservation-biodiversity/a-18335875
8. http://www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingyala/
9. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150104/news/bird-strikes-at-mria-and-bia-require-prompt-attention-civil-aviation-authority-129697.html
10. http://longpointbiosphere.com/Publications/Habitat%20Restoration/content.htm
11. http://nature.disney.com/monkey-kingdom
12. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17126895
13. http://www.eturbonews.com/33792/yala-ruined-its-own-popularity
14. http://www.emirates247.com/news/sri-lanka/mischievous-elephant-scares-tourists-2013-05-07-1.505552
15. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=87035
16. https://garverusa.com/iq/201023/27/reclaiming-water-and-revenue/
17. http://www.cement.org/for-concrete-books-learning/concrete-technology/concrete-design-production/recycled-aggregates
18. http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/news/sri-lanka-mega-projects-may-intensify-human-elephant-conflict:-researchers/2065769826


19.http://www.sundaytimes.lk/150628/news/why-mattala-could-not-take-off-heres-the-plane-truth-154888.html


Sincerely,


Concerned citizens of the world

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