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Sinharaja
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Sinharaja is the country's last viable area of primary tropical rainforest. More than 60% of the trees are endemic and many of them are considered rare. 50% of Sri Lankan's endemics species of animals (especially butterfly, amphibians, birds, snakes and fish species). It is home to 95% endemic birds. The hilly virgin rainforest, part of the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests ecoregion, was saved from the worst of commercial logging by its inaccessibility, and was designated a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and a World Heritage Site in 1988. Because of the dense vegetation, wildlife is not as easily seen as at dry-zone national parks such as Yala. There are about 3 elephants, and 15 or so leopards. The most common lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka Lowland Rain Forests
The Sri Lanka lowland rain forests represents Sri Lanka's Tropical rainforests below in elevation in the southwestern part of the island. The year-around warm, wet climate together with thousands years of isolation from mainland India have resulted in the evolution of numerous plants and animal species that can only be found in rain forests in Sri Lanka. The thick forest canopy is made up of over 150 species of trees, some of the emergent layer reaching as high as . The lowland rain forests accounts for 2.14 percent of Sri Lanka's land area. This ecoregion is the home of the jungle shrew, a small endemic mammal of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has the highest density of amphibian species worldwide. Many of these, including 250 species of tree frogs, live in these rain forests. Forest cover The lowland rain forests cover in total and accounts for 2.14 percent of Sri Lanka's land area. Wet monsoon forests receive of annual rainfall and are situated belove of altitude. Kanneliya, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Forestry In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is a relatively small continental island, it exhibits a remarkable diversity of forest types, which are among the biologically one of richest forests in Asia. In these forests plant species show extraordinary patterns of localized distribution. Sri Lanka's forest became one of highest density of species diversity in the world. (2.17 BioD index) Sri Lanka natural forest cover about 12,493 km2 (65,610 km2 total land area) 29.46% According to the National Red List said, Sri Lanka counts 253 land species, 245 species of butterflies, 240 birds, 211 reptiles, 748 evaluated vertebrates and 1,492 invertebrates. Forest coverage is about 70% tropical dry monsoon forests, 15% tropical moist monsoon forests and 5% tropical lower montane forests. By the dawn of the 19th century, Sri Lanka's forest cover was estimated at up to 70% of the total land area. Since then, the forest cover has decreased progressively over time. Significant loss of Sri Lanka's forest cover was first reporte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre. Sri Lanka has a population of around 22 million (2020) and is a multinational state, home to diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Sinhalese are the majority of the nation's population. The Tamils, who are a large minority group, have also played an influential role in the island's history. Other long established groups include the Moors, the Burghers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red-faced Malkoha
The red-faced malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka Description This is a large species at 46 cm with a long graduated tail. Its back is dark green, and the uppertail is green edged with white. The belly and undertail are white, the latter being barred black. The crown and throat are black, and the lower face white. There is a large red patch around the eye and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller. The red-faced malkoha takes a variety of insects including caterpillars, giant stick insects, mantises and small vertebrates such as lizard. It occasionally may eat berries but this needs confirmation.Salgado, Amila (2006) Some observations on the diet of Red-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus in Sri Lanka. Forktail 22:122-12PDF/ref> Unlike most cuckoos, this is a quiet species, making only the odd soft grunt. Distribution It i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka Blue Magpie
The Sri Lanka blue magpie or Ceylon magpie (''Urocissa ornata'') is a brightly coloured member of the family Corvidae, found exclusively in Sri Lanka. This species is adapted to hunting in the dense canopy, where it is highly active and nimble. Its flight is rather weak, though, and is rarely used to cover great distances. In spite of the Sri Lanka blue magpie's ability to adapt to the presence of humans, it is classified as vulnerable to extinction due to the fragmentation and destruction of its habitat of dense primary forest in the wet zone of southern Sri Lanka. Description The Sri Lanka blue magpie measures 42–47 cm in length,BirdLife International (2019) Species factsheet: ''Urocissa ornata''. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/10/2019 and is larger than a mynah, but smaller than a crow,Henry GM. 1971. A guide to the birds of Ceylon. London (UK)/New York (NY): Oxford University Press. with a sturdy bill. Its plumage is bright blue, with a reddish-brown ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purple-faced Langur
The purple-faced langur (''Semnopithecus vetulus''), also known as the purple-faced leaf monkey, is a species of Old World monkey that is endemic to Sri Lanka. The animal is a long-tailed arboreal species, identified by a mostly brown appearance, dark face (with paler lower face) and a very shy nature. The species was once highly prevalent, found in suburban Colombo and the "wet zone" villages (areas with high temperatures and high humidity throughout the year, whilst rain deluges occur during the monsoon seasons), but rapid urbanization has led to a significant decrease in the population level of the monkeys. It had traditionally been classified within the lutung genus ''Trachypithecus'' but was moved to the genus ''Semnopithecus'' based on DNA evidence indicating that is it more closely related to the gray langurs. In Sinhala it is known as ශ්රී ලංකා කළු වඳුරා ʌlu vʌⁿðura(Sri Lanka black monkey). Description In the purple-faced langu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orange-billed Babbler
The orange-billed babbler (''Argya rufescens'') also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic to Sri Lanka. In the past, it was considered to be a race of jungle babbler, ''Argya striatus''. Its habitat is rainforest, and it is seldom seen away from deep jungle. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight. Although its habitat is under threat, it occurs in all the forests of the wet zone, and is quite common at prime sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja. It builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three deep greenish blue eggs. These birds are plain orange brown below, and have a slightly darker shade above. The crown and nape are grey, and the bill is orange. The orange-billed babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gin Ganga
The Gin Ganga ( si, ගිං ගඟ, ''Gin River''), is a long river situated in Galle District of Sri Lanka. The river's headwaters are located in the Gongala Mountain range, near Deniyaya, bordering the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. The river flows past the villages of Baddegama, Nagoda, Thelikada and Hegoda. The Wakwella Bridge, which was the longest bridge in Sri Lanka, is built over this river. The river is also dammed at Thelikada. The mouth of the river is at Gintota, just north of Galle, where it flows into the Indian Ocean. See also * List of rivers in Sri Lanka The following table lists most rivers of Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka is a trilingual country, some rivers may have a Sinhala name (i.e. Kalu Ganga), while other have an English name (i.e. Kelani River). In the Sinhala language, Ganga (ගඟ) tra ... * Wakwella Bridge References {{SriLanka-river-stub Rivers of Sri Lanka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Forest Conservation
The Department of Forest Conservation (Sinhala language, Sinhala: වන සංරක්ෂණ දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව ''Vana Sanrakshana Departhamenthuwa'') is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Sri Lanka. Its mission is to protect and expand Sri Lanka's forests and woodlands. The head of the department is the Conservator General, Dr. K.M.A.Bandara. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Resource Conservation. It has limited policing powers in protected forest areas to stop illegal poaching and logging, with the power to arrest suspects. Forests Some of the forests managed by the Department of Forest Conservation are: * Hurulu Forest Reserve, Hurulu Man and Biosphere Reserve, 1977 * Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sinharaja Man and Biosphere Reserve, 1978 * Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN), 2004 See also *Law enforcement in Sri Lanka References External links Department of Forest Conservat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalu Ganga
Kalu Ganga ( si, කළු ගඟ; literally: Black River) is a river in Sri Lanka. Measuring in length, the river originates from Sri Padhaya and reach the sea at Kalutara. The Black River flows through the Ratnapura and the Kalutara District and pass the city Ratnapura. The mountainous forests in the Central Province and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve are the main sources of water for the river. The Edwardian manor, Richmond Castle is on the banks of the river near Kalutara. Kalu Ganga basin is one of the most important river basins in Sri Lanka which receives very high rainfalls and has higher discharges. Due to its hydrological and topographical characteristics, the lower flood plain suffers from frequent floods and it affects the socio-economic profile greatly. During the past several years, many researchers have investigated climatic changes in the main river basins of the country, but no studies have been done on climatic changes in the Kalu Ganga basin. Theref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratnapura District
Ratnapura ( Sinhala: රත්නපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය, Tamil: இரத்தினபுரம் மாவட்டம்) is a district of Sri Lanka in the Sabaragamuwa Province. The gem-mining centre of Sri Lanka is also a major crossroad between southern plains and the hill country to the east. A bustling market city servicing most of the surrounding towns. Many of the prominent gem dealers in Sri Lanka operate from this town. There is a route to Sri Pada from Ratnapura direction. Excursions include Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Udawalawe National Park. The surrounding area is a popular trekking destination and a good place for bird watching. Religion The majority of the population are Buddhists. Other religions include Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.Department of Census and StatisticThe Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011/ref> Major cities * Ratnapura (Municipal Council) Large towns * Balangoda (Urban Council) * Embili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green-billed Coucal
The green-billed coucal (''Centropus chlororhynchos'') is a member of the Cuculidae, cuckoos. It is Endemism in birds, endemic to Sri Lanka's wet zone and listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the small population declined due to forest destruction and fragmentation. It inhabits the tall rainforests of southwest Sri Lanka and nests in bushes. Its typical clutch is 2–3 Egg (biology), eggs. Description It is a medium to large bird at 43 cm. Its head and body is purple-black, the wings are maroon above and black below, and the long tail is dark green. The bill is a distinctive light green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and streaked. It is somewhat smaller and less contrasted than the more widespread greater coucal. Despite its size and distinctive call, this is a difficult species to see because of the dense habitat in which it lives and its retiring nature. It feeds on a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
