Sinharaja:

Our natural heritage

All these days, we have been writing about historical buildings, kings of ancient Sri Lanka and traditions and rituals, in our ‘Heritage Splendour’ page.

Today, as we approach the World Environment Day, we thought of writing about a natural heritage site in Sri Lanka. It is not a place that requires a long introduction. Almost every citizen of Sri Lanka knows about this place... yes, it is the Sinharaja Forest.

Sinharaja, which is 11,250 hectares in total area, is the last remaining untouched jewel in the rainforest crown of the country. It is spread across the Ratnapura, Galle and Matara districts in the interior wet zone of the south west of the island. The prehistoric Sinharaja covers 8,900 hectares of breathtakingly beautiful, continuous forest.

Beautiful streams, springs, rivers, waterfalls, leopards, monkeys, butterflies and moths, rare trees, valuable shrubs and medicinal herbs are all found within its green canopy(over hanging shelter).

A trek along the paths of Sinharaja would provide nature enthusiasts a never-to-be-forgotten experience of sights, sounds and feelings. Due to its high bio-diversity and ecological importance, it has been declared as a National Heritage Wilderness Area and is the only natural World Heritage Site (declared by UNESCO) in the country.

Sinharaja is one of the few untouched forests left in the world. The forest has a series of mountains and edges rising rapidly from 90m to 1,170m above mean sea level. The Sinharaja rainforest belongs to the middle range uplands by elevation range.

It ranges from 270 to 1,060 metres in height with slopes ranging from 100 to 350 metres. The Sinharaja forest is located on the Rakwana mountain range which lies separately from the main central mountain ranges of the island.

This is Sri Lanka’s most important rainforest. The forest has tall trees growing close to each other, but winding paths make it easy to walk along the forest floor. It is inhabited by water monitors, torque macaques, leopards, giant squirrels, purple-faced leaf monkeys and leeches.

Birdlife includes Ceylon spurfowl, Ceylon junglefowl, Ceylon wood pigeon, Sri Lanka hanging parrot, Layard’s parakeet, red-faced malkoha, green-billed coucal, chestnut-backed owlet, Ceylon grey hornbill, yellow-fronted barbet, Ceylon small barbet, black-capped bulbul, spotted-winged thrush, brown-capped babbler, orange-billed babbler, ashy-headed laughing thrush, Ceylon blue magpie, Ceylon white-headed starling, Ceylon hill munia, Ceylon hill myna, Malabar trogon, black bulbul, Indian Scimitar babbler, greater racket-tailed drongo, green imperial pigeon, velvet-fronted nuthatch and yellow-browned bulbul.

Most of its plants have a wide distribution and high species endemism (unique to that area). Over 60 per cent of the country’s endemic(regularly occuring in a country or distinct) plant species can be found within the boundaries of Sinharaja.

The forest is multi-layered, which is characteristic of a rain forest, and the Mesua-Shorea community and Dipteracarpus community dominate the vegetation. The forest also shelters many varieties of wild orchids, epiphytes and lianas as well.

The highest faunal (animal-related) diversity of the country is found in the Sinharaja. Out of the 12 endemic mammal species of the country, eight are found here. Giant squirrel, dusky-striped jungle squirrel, endemic purple-faced leaf monkey and torque macaque are frequently seen.

Almost 95 per cent of the country’s endemic birds (about 19 species) are found here including rare red-faced malkoha, green-billed caucal, blue magpie and Sri Lanka spurfowl.

Diversity among the reptiles and amphibians is remarkably high. The endemic green pit viper, endemic hump-nosed lizard (Lyriocephalus scutatus) and horned lizard (Ceratophora aspera) are common here.

Small tributaries (smaller streams running into a river) and rivers of the forest support fish such as striped rasbora, walking catfish and endemic combtail.

Apart from its ecological and biodiversity value, its scenic beauty is also invaluable.

The largest known tree of the country, which is an endemic tree, is found in the Sinharaja. The insect-eating pitcher plant is frequently seen here. This magnificent rainforest is also home to a large number of butterflies. Inside the forest is dark even during the daytime due to the close canopy above, and one can hear the voice of cicadas and frogs almost all the time.

Small streams found within the forest contain crystal-clear cool water and one can clearly see the fish, toads and crabs swimming in it.

Another characteristic feature of Sinharaja is the mixed species flock formation of its birds. The number of species in a flock can go up to about 40 at times. If you are lucky enough, you can experience the tropical monsoon inside the forest, which will be an unforgettable experience.

Mountain peaks of the Sinharaja rainforest

The Sinharaja area consists of a series of ridges and valleys. There are several mountain peaks in the eastern side of the Forest Reserve.

Hinipitigala Peak - 1,171m
Dotugala Peak - 769m
Mulawella Peak - 760m
Kosgulana - 797m
Hinipitigala West - 1170m
Hinipitigala East - 1168m
Pathinigala - 605m
Sinhagala - 742m
Tibbotagala - 904m
Kohilarambe - 757m

Rivers

Koskulana Ganga
Maha Ganga
Kudawa Ganga
Maha Dola
Pitakele Ganga
Gin Ganga
Kalukandawa
Gin Ganga
Napala Dola
Aranuwa Dola

The Sinharaja receives a rainfall ranging from 3,000 to 6,000 millimetres, and even the driest season records a surprisingly considerable amount of rainfall.

Compiled by Janani Amarasekara

Facts and pix: Internet