马纳尔以南广阔的沿海湿地，有泻湖、泥滩和盐沼，也是斯里兰卡最适合迁徙的水鸟和火烈鸟的栖息地之一。

概述

万卡莱保护区，也称为马纳尔鸟类保护区，沿着通往马纳尔岛的堤道分布在泻湖、泥滩、盐沼和红树林中。它是被列入拉姆萨尔湿地名录的具有国际重要性的湿地，是该国首要的观鸟目的地之一，栖息着一百多种鸟类。在北方的冬季，这里的浅滩上充满了火烈鸟、针尾鸟、威格鸟、塍鹬、燕鸥和鹈鹕，沿着印度和斯里兰卡之间的迁徙路线。

历史

The wetland was declared a sanctuary by the Department of Wildlife Conservation in 2008 and later recognised as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance for its outstanding value to migratory birds. It lies close to the historic Mannar causeway on the flyway that follows Adam's Bridge between the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.