About the Sinharaja Forest which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1989

Sinharaja Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest, one of nature's wonders, borders Ratnapura, Galle and Matara districts. The Sinharaja forest with an area of 11187 hectares is bordered in each direction as follows.

* South - Gin river and stream

* North - Napola River and Kosgulana River

* West: Kalukandawa Canal and Kudawa River

* East - Morningside Estate

There are also 4 main roads to enter the Sinharaja forest. Below are the four routes.

1) Deniyaya-Pallegama road

2) Kalawana-Veddagala road

3) Rakwana-Morningside road

4) Hiniduma-Neluwa road

The Sinharaja forest area receives 3000-6000 mm of rainfall. The annual temperature of the area is in the range of 18-27 degrees Celsius. The area is well-rained and has several beautiful waterfalls. Brahmana Falls, Dusty Falls, and Pig Falls are some of the waterfalls.

This biodiversity ecosystem has a plant density of about 240,000 per hectare. Out of 340 species of woody plants found here, 192 species are endemic to Sri Lanka. Of these 192 species, 15 are found only in the Sinharaja forest. About 75% of the plants here are endemic to Sri Lanka. Below are the top 5 layers of the plant system located in the Sinharaja forest.

1) Neru layer- It is nourished by plants such as Dorana, Hora and Bhu Hora

2) Canopy layer - nourished by plants such as barley, acacia, batu na, sandpiper, keena

3) Sub canopy layer - nourished by plants such as Uberiya, Kitul, Gal Hadawaka, Malaboda, Katamoda

4) Bottom canopy layer - nourished by plants such as Kudumberiya, Madol, Athuketiya

5) Ground layer- It is nourished by plants such as bee forest, waraniya, keppetiya and ginihota

Villagers in the villages around Sinharaja say that elephants used to live in this forest in the past. But at present the elephant population here has been greatly reduced. However, many species of animals such as deer, green leopard and deer can be seen in this forest. Also, 8 out of 12 endemic mammal species are found here. The forest is home to about 160 species of birds and 18 endemic bird species. Among those species are the gray-headed gnat, the squirrel, and the anthill.

There are also 45 species of reptiles, 21 of which are endemic to Sri Lanka. Among the endemic reptiles of Sri Lanka are several species of lizards, turtles and squirrels. In addition, two very rare three species of snakes called Kenipathuwella and Kurun Karawala can be seen in Sinharaja. Also found are the Mukalan lizard, Caramel Bodilima and the small horned lizard found in Sinharaja.

About 50 very rare amphibian species live in Sinharaja. The yellow wire worm frog, a limbless species, lives in the soil of the swamps of Sinharaja. About 40 species of mammals, 20 species of freshwater fish and 65 species of butterflies are found in the Sinharaja forest.

It was declared an International Human and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978 on the recommendation of the Department of Forest Conservation for its importance as a watershed, its biological significance and the vast ecosystem services it provides. It was declared a National Heritage Site in 1988 due to its national significance. One year later, in 1989, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The destruction of the environment associated with the Sinharaja forest, which is endowed by nature, has been going on for a long time. Environmental damage in a variety of ways can cause damage to the rare flora and fauna of the Sinharaja forest. Therefore, the people who love the environment should raise their voice to protect this ecosystem. In the distant past, attempts to destroy the Sinharaja were averted by the voices of the people. Therefore, let us all unite in the future to protect the valuable forest resource called Sinharaja.