Sinharaja Forest

 Sinharaja Forest

Sinharaja, in the southwest of Sri Lanka, is the last remaining piece of primary tropical rainforest in the nation. The trees make up more than 60% of the population, and many of them are unusual. There is a lot of endemic wildlife in the reserve, notably birds, but there are also many different kinds of insects, reptiles, and uncommon amphibians, as well as more than half of Sri Lanka's endemic butterfly and mammal species.

Excellent Universal Value Synthesis

In Sri Lanka's south-west lowland wet zone, Sinharaja Forest Reserve has the last significant area of primary lowland rainforest. It is made up of 2,772 hectares of proposed forest reserve and 6,092 ha of forest reserve, with a total size of 8,864 ha and an elevation range of 300 to 1,170 meters. The mountains and valleys that make up this short stretch of undulating land are connected by a complex web of streams. This intricate network of rivers drains to both the south and the north, entering the Gin River on the property's southern boundary and the Kalu River via the Napola Dola, Koskulana Ganga, and Kudawa Ganga on the latter. The annual rainfall ranged from 3614 to 5006 mm over the last 60 years, with the majority of the precipitation occurring during the south-west monsoon (May to July) and the north-east monsoon (November- January).

There are 830 endemic species in Sri Lanka, 217 of which are trees and woody climbers found in the low land wet zone. Sixty-four percent of these, or 139, have been found in the reserve, including 16 rare species. With 19 (95%) of the 20 species documented in the property being indigenous to Sri Lanka, avian endemism is extremely high. Additionally, more than 50% of mammals and butterflies are endemism. The reserve is home to a number of threatened, endangered, and rare species, including the leopard (Panthera pardus), the Indian elephant (Elephas maxiumus), the endemic purple-faced langur (Presbytis senex), the Sri Lanka wood pigeon (Columba torringtoni), the green-billed coucal (Centropus chlororrhynchus), and the Sri Lanka white-headed starling (Sturnus senex), Ashy-headed babbler (Garrulax cinereifrons), Sri Lanka broad-billed roller, and Sri Lanka blue magpie (Cissa ornate) (Eurystomus orientalis irisi).

Sinharaja is the only piece of tropical wet evergreen forest in Sri Lanka that is still mostly unaltered. As a remnant of Gondwanaland, the property's flora contributes significantly to our understanding of continental drift and makes for a superb location for the investigation of the mechanisms underlying biological evolution. The existence of the Sinharaja basic zone, with the reserve situated inside the transition zone of two significant rock types characteristic of Sri Lanka—the south-western group and the highland group—is a geological feature of substantial importance.

Criteria (x): The property has a very high level of endemism. Sinharaja is home to at least 139 endemic plant species within two main types of forest: remnants of Dipterocarpus in the valleys and on the lower slopes, and secondary forest and scrub where the original forest cover has been removed. Sinharaja protects the last viable remnant of Sri Lanka's tropical lowland rainforest. On the site, there are 16 indigenous plant species, including the uncommon endemic palms Loxococcus rupicola and Atalantia rotundifolia.

Faunal endemism is also high, topping 50% in particular for mammals, birds, and butterflies. The site is home to the Indian elephant and leopard, two threatened species, as well as 19 (95%) of Sri Lanka's 20 endemic bird species.

Integrity

The Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a sufficiently sized conservation unit to support ongoing biological evolutionary processes and the in situ protection of rare and endangered species. The property is surrounded by 13 other nearby natural forest areas, which give an additional layer of protection, although the boundaries need to be properly defined and delineation.