Madu River Safari by Buddhi

Explore the Madu River Boat Safari (International Ram Sa Wetland) The Madu River Safari(Mangroves) area surrounding the river are all swampy marshlands covered in mangrove forests.The forest covers over 61 hectares, that is over 150 acres. 14 of the 24 species of mangroves are found in this area. It is interesting to note that mangroves play a huge part in preventing erosion. The value of the mangroves was understood in December 2004, during the devastating tsunami, when forest acted as a natural barrier protecting the region. The large growths of mangrove trees have caused a chain of ecological gain. The soil protected by the mangrove trees is very fertile. This has caused a rich growth of other wetland plants. Over 300 species, 19 of which are endemic, have been discovered so far.

Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project

Kosgoda is famous for its sea turtle conservation project operated by the Wild Life Protection Society of Sri Lanka. It was established in 1988 to protect Sri Lanka’s turtles from extinction. Since then it has released about 3.5 million baby turtles into the wild. The hatchery pays fishermen for eggs that they collect at night along the long sandy beach. Although October to April is the main laying season, some eggs (mostly green turtles) can be found at Kosgoda throughout the year. The hatchery buries the eggs in sand, and when they hatch around 50 days later the baby turtles are released into the sea at night. Only about one in 1,000 turtles survives to maturity. kosgoda turtle hatchery also has tanks for injured or disabled turtles, including albino turtles that would not survive in the wild. Kosgoda is famous for its sea turtle conservation project operated by the Wild Life Protection Society of Sri Lanka.