 Buckling up to the Knuckles!
by Nilma Dole
Just days after UNESCO (United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) declared the
Knuckles Mountain Range in the World Heritage list, trekkers, tourists
and locals made the journey to see the stunning mountain range that has
been long-forgotten as one of Sri Lanka’s range of nature reserves and
national parks.
Right in the middle of our country nestles the Knuckles Mountain
Range in the North-East of Kandy where the journey takes you to
prominent peaks and lovely views with eucalyptus trees decorating the
hills like marzipan over a cake.
The Knuckles Mountain Range covers parts of the Kandy and Matale
districts and is separated from the Central Hills by the Mahaveli Valley
to the South and East and the Matale Valley to the West.
There are two ways to get there, from Rattota in Matale or just after
the Hunnasgiriya town, so keep your eyes peeled for the turn off. The
British surveyors called it ‘Knuckles’ for the various points where the
massif resembles the knuckles of a tightly-clenched fist but we quickly
discovered that the locals call it Dumbara Kanduvetiya for its
mist-covered mountains engulfing the plains.
 While on a nature trek, be prepared to bring your raincoat as the
rain turns these mountains into a kind of wet wonderland but you can
easily find yourself in a sunny spot with just a 15-minute walk.
This is because the Knuckles is Sri Lanka’s climatic microcosm which
is of scientific interest. According to environmental experts, the
conditions of all the climatic zones in the country are exhibited in the
massif. At higher elevations, a series of isolated cloud forests exits.
Even with the raindrops pelting down, you can still see the
breath-taking views and feel the chill as you breathe out cold air.
Before turning off at Hunnasgiriya, we were told by residents at a local
shop that the story of the Knuckles or ‘Dumbara Hill’ was referred to as
Giri Divaina and as Malaya Rata. There is archaeological evidence that
speaks of the ancient Yaksha settlement in the area.
We were fascinated to hear that nowhere else in Sri Lanka, in an area
as large as this, did one find such a collection of magnificent peaks
reaching more than 3,000 feet.
 The Knuckles Information Centre states that although the range
constitutes approximately 0.03% of the island’s total area, it is home
to a significantly higher proportion of the country’s biodiversity.
There are five vegetation types enconpassing semi-evergreen, sub-montane,
montane and riverine forests with patana grasslands and savanna
grasslands.
Of the total number of flowering plants species in Knuckles, 160 are
endemic to Sri Lanka while about 32% are threatened. Though the Knuckles
Forest Range covers less than 0.5% of the land area in Sri Lanka, it has
almost one-third of the island’s flowering plant species.
In this area 247 vertebrate species have been recorded of which 26%
are endemic to Sri Lanka, including 14 birds and nine fish species. Five
of these endemic species including three fresh water fish (phillipis
gara-garra phillipsi, martenstyne’s puntius srilankensis) one amphibian
(marbled cliff frog-nannophrys mamorata) and one lizard (ceretophora
tennenti) are only found in the Knuckles.
It is also where a majority of Sri Lanka’s mammals are found.
Elephants, leopards, sambur, wild boar, spotted deer, barking deer,
mouse deer, and even the mammal thought to be extinct, the slender loris
make their home here. In addition to the astounding species and climatic
wonders prevalent, there are three main rivers called the Hulu Ganga,
the Heen Ganga and the Kalu Ganga, which begin from Knuckles Mountain
Range and can be seen meandering along the mountains with
mini-waterfalls. However, the Knuckles Range is threatened by
deforestation owing to the cultivation of cardamom.
 This has been significiant in the last few years as the villages have
grown due to the increasing population. You can even see land cleared to
make way for tea bushes which are potentially dangerous in wiping out
the homes of these endemic species.
According to a survey conducted by the Socio Environment Foundation,
about 5 ,000-6,000 hectares in Knuckles Forests have been damaged as a
result of cardamom cultivation and barns used to dry the cardamom seeds.
Cardamom cultivation is done over a 3,500 feet elevation in the strict
forest reserve, which covers about 2,721 hectares.
This cultivation has resulted in 21% heavily degraded sites and a 11%
open canopy. Over-grazing, over-use of agricultural chemicals by farmers
for paddy cultivation, illegal gem mining, hena cultivation, man-made
fires, exploitation of species, the spread of invasive alien species and
the dumping of rubbish are other destructive practices that threaten the
glory of the Knuckles. |
