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| Sunday, 7 November 2004 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The beauty and mystery of Sinharaja It is a beautiful, cool and comfortable place. As you step out in the morning, drafts of fresh air and a drizzle of morning dew brush your face. Shafts of sunlight play hide and seek with you, through the jungle cover. Birds welcome you with their songs while a variety of butterflies frit about. The white foam of a stream nearby invites you for a cool bath. Well, "Where could this be?" you may ask. It is a place in Sri Lanka within our reach which all of you can enjoy. But, be careful not to disturb or destroy it. For it is the only remaining virgin tropical evergreen rainforest in Sri Lanka today. The Sinharaja Forest. Sinharaja forest is not only beautiful, it is mysterious too. Many of Sinharaja's bio-diversity secrets have not yet been revealed. It is the most important forest in Sri Lanka and could be called the heart of Sri Lanka's bio - diversity. Over 90 per cent of Sinharaja's flora and about 59 per cent of its fauna are endemic or found only in Sri Lanka. Some of these plant and animal species are found only in Sinharaja and the adjacent forests. There are interesting stories about Sinharaja in the folklore. While some say Sinharaja got its name due to a powerful lion who ruled the area, others say that the name was derived from the forest being Sinhale Raja Vanaya, or the royal forest of the Sinhalese kings. Legend also notes that it had been a very large forest covering over 100,000 acres. However, what is left of the Sinharaja forest is a mere ten per cent of its previous size. With an extent of 11,187 hectares, Sinharaja reserve is a strip of forest about 21 kilometres in length and seven kilometres at its maximum width. It is situated in the south western low lands and belongs to three districts namely Ratnapura, Galle and Matara. A hilly terrain, it has seven peaks over 750 metres tall. The highest, Hinipitigala West Peak is 1170 metres. Its east peak takes the second place, being 1168 m in height. Tibbottagala comes third with a 904 m height. The rest are, Kosgulana (797m), Datulugala (769m), Moulawella (760m) and Kohila Aramba (757m). Sinhagala is 742 m while Pathinigala is 605m. Sinharaja was declared a part of the International Network of Man and Biosphere Reserves in 1978 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in 1989. It is Sri Lanka's first natural reserve to be declared a World Heritage Site. Being a tropical wet evergreen forest, tall trees growing upto a height of about 35 m to 40 m is a characteristic of this forest. Though the undergrowth is not dense, there is a large number of ferns and epiphytes that bring beauty and variety to this forest. Out of its 337 known plant species, 192 are endemic and 116 are globally threatened. The giant Navada (Shorea stipularis) tree is a major attraction in Sinharaja. Over 500 years old, this tree is 6.4 m in diameter with an average height of 43 m. Of the mammals, most commonly seen are sambhur, barking deer, monk deer and green leaf monkeys. Elephants and leopards though found in the forest are not seen frequently. Out of the 12 mammal species, eight are endemic. Bird life brings variety to this forest. Sinharaja provides shelter for 141 species of the 384 known bird species in Sri Lanka which includes 19 endemic species. Red Faced Mal Koha, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl and Dusky Blue Flycatcher are some of the endemic bird species found in Sinharaja. Fish are another interesting part of Sinharaja. Its cool and clear streams hold many an endemic variety. Bulath Hapaya (Black Ruby Barb - Puntius nigrofaciatus), Gal Pandiya (Stone Sucker - Garra ceylonensi) and Pathirana Salaya (Barred Danio - Danio Pathirana) are some of them. Out of 20 species found in Sinharaja seven are endemic. Sixty five species of butterflies are noted in the Sinharaja, out of which 21 are endemic. Common Birdwing, Blue Mormon, Blue Oakleaf and Tree Nymph are some of the varieties that could be seen flitting about. When it comes to reptiles and amphibians, it is correct to say Sinharaja still holds a lot of secrets. Research is yet to be carried out on reptiles and amphibians. However, 19 known amphibian species are found in Sinharaja of which 10 are endemic. Of the 72 reptile species, 21 are endemic. - Vimukthi
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