Lion King (Sinharaja) Tropical Rain Forest, Sri Lanka
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a world heritage site (1989)
To keep up with the Joneses. This time around,
it would be Indiana Jones with temperature at 20-34
degrees centigrade, humidity at about 87% & annual rainfall of
5000 mm in the 15 million year old Sinharaja Tropical Rain Forest
also known as Lion King Tropical Rain Forest of Sri Lanka, a
living world heritage site. Sinharaja meaning Lion king in Sinhala
is believed to have been the last redoubt of the Sri Lanka's lion.
Lion King Sinharaja Tropical Rain Forest has something for
every one with diverse activities & interests: to the nature lover, to
the photographer, to the artist, to the ecologist & to the scientist.
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of nature &
Naural Resources- Technical evaluation of Sinharaja Reserve states t
hat "Sinharaja is the last extensive primary lowland tropical rain forest
in Sri Lanka. It holds a large number of endemic species of plants &
animals, & a variety of plants of known benefit to man".
Pocketed between two sizeable rivers
The tropical island of Sri Lanka is well forested, with more t
han 18899 acres (6648ha) of hilly virgin, uninhabited woodland
in the Sinharaja Forest alone. Pocketed between two sizeable
rivers, namely river Kalu Ganga from the north & river Gin
ganga from the south of the numerous rivers of this paradise
like tropical island of Sri Lanka, no larger than state of
Virginia, is a virgin tropical rainforest of enormous e
cological significance, a treasure trove of biodiversity. The wet
zone rain forest, with a breadth of 3.7 km north to south stretches
21km west to east over the hills, along the ridges & across
the valleys ranging in altitude 200m to 1300m. This narrow
strip of undulating terrain is drained by an intricate network
of streams, which flow into the two rivers.
The Portuguese, the Dutch & the British, the spice merchants.
The first records on Sinharaja date back to Portuguese &
then Dutch. Sinharaja is home to the spice Cardamom
Elattaria ensal. I needn't complete my sentences: they loved our
spices while we hated & waged war against them. The forest was
first mapped by British who made it a Crown Property in
1840. The first survey was done by Naturalist George
Henry Thwaites in the 1850s, recording many plants
found in Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest.
People Power
Though Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest was
declared a forest reserve as far back in 1875, heavy
logging began in 1971 resulting in a people’s protest
against the misguided government directive that allowed
felling of timber. In 1978 Sinharaja was declared a
national reserve & inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. People Power Prevails!!!! Long live People Power.
Live & Let Live
The conversation project making a provision for limited use
of the forest recourses to meet the local needs of the
inhabitants of the surrounding villages was launched in the
run up to the status of UNESCO World Heritage List. Among
the variety of resources made available for limited
use are Kitul palm (Caryota urens) for
honey & jaggery (solidified honey);
Weniwal (Coscinium fenestratum) for
Ayurveda Medical treatments;
rattan (wewal Calamus), used in making
baskets & chairs;
cardamom Elattaria ensal (as spice); Shorea sp.
(for flour); dun Shorea sp. (for varnish and incense).
Tropical Forest
The vegetation of Lion King Rain Forest
consists of Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest
& Tropical Lowland Forest, with lofty, very straight
dominant trees being a distinctive feature. It is reputed
to shelter some 120 trees species, including ironwood,
satinwood, teak & ebony. The oldest parts of the rainforest
comprise dense stands of towering trees enmeshed in
exotic tangles of ferns & lianas; the top of the canopy
reaches heights up to 45m with giant Newada trees
among others. Nearly all the sub canopy tree found here
are rare or endangered. The vegetation below the sub canopy
is thick. More than 65% of the 217 types of trees & woody
climbers endemic to Sri Lanka's rainforest are found
in Sinharaja. As the heart of the island's wet zone,
on most days the forest conjures rain clouds that
replenish its deep soil & balance water resources for
a wide area of southwestern Sri Lanka. Sinharaja's
importance lies not just in its pristine nature, but
also in the high degree of endemism of its species.
Carnivorous plants
Among the carnivorous plants is lovely Baduara. The
deep test tube like green flower, Badura, closes its leaf
lid whenever an insect creeps in. The flower ages into fiery red.
Mammals
There are 12 species of mammals to be found in Sinharaja,
of which eight are endemic to Sri Lanka. Kola
Wandura (Purple-faced langur monkey),
Gona (Sambhur), Olu Muwa (Barking deer),
Wild boar (Pus scrofa), rusty spotted cats,
fishing cats are found here. The purple-faced
langur monkey is the most commonly seen of mammals.
There are three species of squirrels: the dusky-striped
jungle squirrel, flame-striped jungle squirrel & western
giant squirrel. Leopard, Badger Mongoose and the Golden
Palm Civet have been occasionally
sighted. Porcupines & Pangolins waddle
around the forest floor.
Birds of many feathers
Lion king Sinharaja Rain Forest is home to a total of
147 species. Among the endemic birds are Ceylon
Lorikeet (Loriculus beryllinus), Layard's
Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae),
Ceylon Jungle Fowl (Gallus Lafayetti),
Spur Fowl (Galloperdix bicalcarta),
Ceylon White-headed Starling (Sturnus albofrontatus),
Ceylon Wood Pigeon (Columba torringtoni),
Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis),
Spotted-wing Thrush (Zoothera spiloptera),
Rufous Babbler (Turdoides rufescens),
Brown- capped Babbler (Pelleurneum fuscocapillum),
Ashy-headed Laughing Thrush (Garrulax cinereifrons),
Ceylon Blue Magpie (Cissa oronata),
White Headed Starling (Sturnus albofrontatus),
Green-billed Coucal (Centrophus chlororhynchus),
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus),
Ceylon Hill Mynah or Grackle (Gracula ptilogenys)
and Legge's Flowerpecker (Dicaeum vincens).
Birds not of a feather too flock together when her
poison isn't necessarily mine
An interesting phenomenon in Lion king Sinharaja
Rain Forest is that birds tend to move in mixed feeding f
locks, led by the fearless Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
and the noisy Orange-billed Babbler: It is a mutual
relationship observed among birds, a method by which
they improve the availability of feed. The food of one
species does not necessarily interest another.
Sri Lanka's National Bird
Pedestrian Wali kukula or Sri Lanka Jungle
fowl (Gallus Lafayetti), a very colourful cousin of
domestic chicken, endemic to Sri Lanka is found
strutting about & scratching the ground for food here
in Sinharaja. Sinharaja is an ideal reserve to view
Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl. Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl can
be seen at Kitulgala as well as Ruhuna Yala National Park.
Reptiles & Amphibians
Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest is home to 21 of
Sri Lanka's 45 endemic species of snake.
Python (Python molurus) in here is vulnerable.
The most commonly seen reptile is the green
garden lizard, while snakes include the
endemic Green pit viper (venomous) which
inhabit trees, krait (venomous) and
Hump-nosed viper (venomous) which lives on the
forest floor. There are several endemic amphibian
species, including the torrent toad,
wrinkled frog & Sri Lankan reed frog.
Natural trails
The three main natural trails of Lion King Sinharaja
Rain Forest are Waturawa trail
(4.7 km long), Moulawella trail (7.5 km long)
and Sinhagala (Lion Rock) trail (14km long).
At Lion Rock (742 m) we can view the unbroken
tree canopy of an undisturbed forest & various hill ranges.
At moulawella peak (760 m) we can see Sri Pada Adam's Peak
& look over forest canopy. Oh! The leeches are along the trails.
That's a plenty of nuisance. Soap or lighter or salt would do.
Hotels
With the eco tourism in Lion King Sinharaja Rain Forest on the
rise, enterprising new hotels have opened up recently.
The Boulder Garden & Rain Forest Edge are top
flight of boutique hotels that provide a convenient bases.
