Bellanwila Attidiya Bird Sanctuary

Three hundred and seventy-two hectares of marsh inside Colombo's southern suburbs, protected by the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Open water, reed, and a river running through it. Lesser whistling teal, Asian openbill, purple heron, spot-billed pelican, black-winged stilt, white ibis. Four kinds of kingfisher — common, pied, white-breasted, stork-billed.

Industrial waste still goes into the waterways that feed the marsh. It was once a very rich wetland and it is poorer now, and it goes on holding warblers and crakes and herons regardless: Blyth's reed warbler, Pallas's grasshopper warbler, ruddy crake, water cock, purple coot.

A marsh this close to a capital city survives on paperwork alone. So far the paperwork has held.