Although it has been 63 years since independence, we have failed to ensure the security of our wet zone forest ecosystems burdening the Red List of Threatened Fauna and Flora compiled once in three years by the IUCN. Regrettably, information rendered by the red list and other records have not been incorporated in the process of policy making. Demeaned to mere records, these vital sources of information stand detached from the policy statements.
Sinharaja forest provides a prime example to this plight. Since late 80s the Forest Department, which has been entitled with the custody of the Sinharaja forest has been too preoccupied with the struggle to promote tourism in order to boost the treasury that protecting biodiversity has been allowed to drift into oblivion.
The first attempt to conserve the Sinharaja Forest was its declaration as a Protected Area by Gazette Notification bearing No 4046 dated May 8, 1875 published under the Waste Lands Ordinance during the British colonial era itself. A 2,428.1 hectare span of the Sinharaja forest was declared as a Protected Area. On May 21, 1926 this was further extended by 3,724.6 hectares. During the period from 1972 to 1977 roads were built into the forest from Waturawa, Mulawella, Athwelthota-Kalukadawa and Kudawa and logging operations were carried out in order to supply for the Plywood Corporation. By the time it was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1988 these logging operations had been terminated as a result of relentless protests of the environmentalists.
A span of 11,187 hectares of the Sinharaja Forest was declared a National Heritage Wilderness Area by Gazette Notification bearing No. 528/14 dated 21.10.1988 published under the National Heritage Wilderness Area Act number 4 of 1988. This stands as the sole declaration made under this Act up to date. Next, in 1989 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO under Natural Criteria ix and x, the first to be declared as a World Heritage Site on the island.
Sinharaja Forest is a unique ecosystem. It is comprised of a canopy typical to Tropical Wet Evergreen Rainforests and three unique climax vegetation types: Hora community, Na-Dun community, Milla-Diya para-Hedawaka-Welipanna community. A unique plant community composed of the two endemic species Rath Dun (Shorea gardneri) and Yakahalu (Shorea trapezifolla) exist in Sinharaja Watte and Enasal Watte owned by the State Plantation Corporation. These areas, situated outside the Protected Area, are vulnerable to clearing for plantation of tea.
Four hundred and ninety five (495) of the 926 endemic flowering plants of Sri Lanka as well as 13 of the 25 endemic plant Genera are recorded from the Sinharaja Forest. Fifteen point endemic species of flora occur in the forest while 340 woody plants are recorded, out of which 192 are endemic to the country. The overwhelming faunal diversity of the Sinharaja forest encompasses 448 species that belong to the animal groups of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and butterflies. Out of these, 137 species (31%) are endemic to the country.
Sinharaja forest accounts only for 0.17% of the total land area of Sri Lanka. Notwithstanding, it shelters 44% of the terrestrial animals of six animal groups as mentioned above, recorded from Sri Lanka. Forty-four per cent of the endemic fauna of Sri Lanka are reported to inhabit the forest. Sinharaja records all 33 endemic bird species of Sri Lanka. Among the 20 recorded point endemic species of animals are 11 amphibians, five reptiles, one mammal (Kunuhik meeya - Crocidura hikmiya), two fresh water crabs (Ceylonthelphusa savitriae and Perbrinckia rosae) and one spider species (Onomustus nigricauds). These provide ample evidence to the invaluable biodiversity significance of the forest.
Five of the 11 point endemic Amphibians are Critically Endangered according to the IUCN red list (2007); Sinharaja shrub frog (Philautus simba), Cheeky shrub frog (Philautus procax), Papillated shrub frog (Philautus papillosus), Handapan Ella shrub frog (Philautus lunatus) and Morning side tree frog (Polypedates fastigo). As per the IUCN red list (2007), the rest are Endangered.
According to the veteran Zoologist P. B Karunarathne, Deraniyagala’s shield tail (Rhinophis tricoloratus), a point endemic fossorial snake, is a common inhabitant of the forest. The four tetrapod reptiles endemic to the Singharaja forest; Erdelen’s horned lizard (Ceratophora
erdeleni), Karunaratne’s horned lizard (Ceratophora karu), Desilva’s lizard (Calotes desilvai) and Rakwana bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus subsolanus) are Critically Endangered according to the 2007 IUCN red list.
Most of the point endemic amphibian, reptile and crab species are precariously confined to the unprotected areas of Morningside and Handapan Ella (Rakwana Mountain Range). These forests, owned by the State Plantation Corporation and the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Commission are being rapidly cleared for potato and cardamom plantations.
According to the Cabinet Paper bearing number PS/CS/26/2004 dated July 22, 2004 all the forest lands in the custody of the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Commission that adjoin the Sinharaja National Wilderness Area or situated within 0.5 km from the boundary have been prescribed to be ceded to the Forest Department in agreement with section 22 (1) e and 44(a) of Land Reclamation Law of 1972. However, the documents pertaining to this stipulation have lain dormant for seven years at the Environment Management Division of the Ministry of Environment.
As stated in this Cabinet Paper 2,508.4 hectares of virgin forests are prescribed to be combined with the protected area. Enasal watte, Kurugala watte, Beverly watte and Hemagiri watte of Matara District, Mura kele watte, Fab watte, Iluba kanda watte, Morningside watte, Canter watte, Gaze watte, Gonhela watte, Abbey rose watte, Backware watte, Konduragala watte and Dambahena watte of the Ratnapura District along with Homadola watte, of the District of Galle are recommended to be linked to the protected Area. These forest lands have been leased to many plantation companies by the Land Reclamation and Development Commission. Adding to the burden caused by plantation of Tea, Cardamom and Potatoes, clearing for Developmental Projects such as construction of hotels poses a detrimental impact on the forest cover.
Many exclusive forests in the environs of the Sinharaja forest have not been granted proper legal protection. Seven proposed protected areas including Morapitiya-Renakanda, Delgoda, Panagala, Warathelgoda and Thibbotuwawa are connected to the Sinharaja Forest. It is required to attach all these proposed areas to the protected Wilderness Area in order to guarantee the preservation of biodiversity.
Upon implementation of such conservation strategies, it is essential to declare the area within one kilometre or a mile from the boundary as a buffer zone under the National Environmental Act. In the case of the National Parks in the Dry Zone the areas within a mile from the boundary have been declared buffer zones (Environment sensitive area) and thus it is mandatory for any development activity located within to obtain Environmental Recommendation subject to the EIA process. But astonishingly, the Sinharaja forest, the most significant forest system in terms of Biodiversity had been treated unfairly with a hardly commendable allocation of a rather scanty buffer zone or sensitive area of 100 m from the boundary.
We wish that the Ministry of Environment would take necessary policy decisions in order to address these crucial issues in order to sustain this magnificent repository of biodiversity for generations to come.
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