Adam's Bridge Marine National Park ( ta, இராமர் பாலம் கடல்சார் தேசிய பூங்கா, translit=Irāmar Pālam Kaṭalcār Tēciya Pūṅkā; si, ආදම්ගේ පාලම ජාතික සාගර උද්යානය, translit=Ādamgē Pālama Jātika Sāgara Udyānaya) is a
national park
A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
surrounding
Adam's Bridge
Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, a ...
(Rama's Bridge) in northern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, approximately north west of
Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places:
India
* Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala
Sri Lanka
* Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka
** Mannar Island, an island within the district
**Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...
.
History
An Integrated Strategic Environmental Assessment of Northern Province produced by the government with the assistance of
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
and
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
and published in October 2014 recommended that a national park with an area of be created on the Sri Lankan section of Adam's Bridge.
In May 2015 the government announced that a part of Adam's Bridge, along with
Chundikkulam,
Delft
Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...
and
Madhu Road would be designated national parks.
Adam's Bridge became a national park on 22 June 2015 with an area of .
The Indian section of Adam's Bridge is part of the
Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park is a protected area of India consisting of 21 small islands (islets) and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean. It lies 1 to 10 km away from the east coast of Tamil Nadu, Indi ...
.
[
]
Flora and fauna
Many migratory birds follow the Pamban Island-Adam's Bridge- Mannar Island route when flying to/from Sri Lanka.[ The sand dunes of Adam's Bridge are also used as breeding grounds by birds such as the brown noddy.][ Numerous varieties of fish and sea grasses thrive in the shallow waters Adam's Bridge.][ Sea life found around Adam's Bridge include ]dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
, dugong and turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
.[
]
See also
* Coral reefs in India
Coral reefs in India are one of the most ancient and dynamic ecosystems of India. The coral reefs not only provide a sanctuary to a myriad of marine life but also play a key role in protecting the coastline from erosion. India has about 7517&nbs ...
References
{{authority control
2015 establishments in Sri Lanka
Mannar DS Division
National parks of Sri Lanka
Protected areas established in 2015
Protected areas in Northern Province, Sri Lanka