The last undisturbed are of reforest in Sri Lanka, this forest reserve occupies the heart of the islands wet zone. On most days the forest is shrouded by copious rain clouds that replenish its deep soils and balance water resources for mush of southwestern Sri Lanka.
The reserve comprises 18,899 hectares of natural and modified forest, measuring about 2 km east to west and 3.7 km north to south. The forest contains 211 higher plant species belonging to 119 genera and 43 families. Endemics comprise between 75 and 95% of these.
Fauna studies have identified 255 vertebrate species, 24%of the endemic to Sri Lanka. Among mammals and butterflies endemism is over 50%. Many fascinating animals live in the canopy related by the trees. They include the purple-faced leaf monkey and the toque macaque, a subspecies of he bonnet macaque. Mouse deer, barking and sambar deer graze below and are preyed n y Sinharaja’s largest carnivore, the leopard.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve comprising the existing and proposed forest reserves, was declared a biosphere reserve in April and inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1988.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
