Kanneliya–Dediyagala–Nakiyadeniya or KDN is a forest complex in southern

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 ...

. The forest complex designated as a biosphere reserve in 2004 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The KDN complex is the last large remaining

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

in Sri Lanka other than

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 Conserv ...

. This forest area has been identified as one of the floristically richest areas in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

. The forest complex is situated 35 km northwest of city of

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

. The rain forest is a major catchment area for two of the most important rivers in southern Sri Lanka, the

Gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink that derives its flavour from juniper berries (''Juniperus communis''). Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe, particularly in southern Italy, Flanders and the Ne ...

and Nilwala Rivers. This biosphere reserve harbors many plants and animal species endemic to

Physical features

The biosphere consists series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. The

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

ranges from 60 m to 425 m above sea level. Mean annual temperature is 27.0 °C while annual temperature variation is 4 °C-5 °C. The forest receives a substantial rainfall of 3,750 mm. Many ancient

taxonomic groups In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...

Gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

are present in these rain forests. They also relates to Indomalayan plants and animals.

Hydrological features

The forest complex act as an important

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

for many rivers and streams flow through the area. The forest is the source for

Gin River 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 riv ...

, which flows west to the forest and for Nilwala river which flows east to the forest. Kanneli, Nanikiththa and Udugama are the smaller streams of Kanneliya while Homa dola and Gal bandi dola are sourced by Nakiyadeniya and Deiyagala.

Flora

The KDN forest complex shows a degree of floral

endemicity In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a specific population or populated place when that infection is constantly maintained at a baseline level without extra infections being brought into the group as a result of travel or simi ...

, as 17 percent of lowland endemic floral species are confined to this forest area. Of 319 woody plants recorded in the area, about 52 per cent is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

. The

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

of KDN complex represents Sri Lanka lowland rain forests. The floral communities dominated by '' Shorea- Dipterocarpus-

Mesua ''Mesua'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Calophyllaceae,Stephens, P.F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008. http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/ native to tropical southern Asia ...

'' (

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

"Doona-Hora-Na") are common in

emergent layer Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

of the forest. Numerous

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

are found in these forests. They include '' Coscinium fenestratum'' (

"Weniwelgata"), ''

Salacia reticulata ''Salacia reticulata'' is a flowering plant of the genus ''Salacia'' native to Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. It grows in dry zone forests in Sri Lanka. In ayurvedic medicine, it is known as ''kothala himbutu'' (කොතල හිඹුට� ...

'' ("Kothala Himbutu"), and ''

Tinospora cordifolia ''Tinospora cordifolia'' (common names gurjo, heart-leaved moonseed, guduchi or giloy) is a herbaceous vine of the family Menispermaceae indigenous to tropical regions of the Indian subcontinent. It has been used in Ayurveda to treat various diso ...

'' ("Rasakinda"). '' Lycopodium squarrosum'' ("Kuda hadaya"), and '' Lycopodium phlegmaria'' ("Maha hadaya") are among the rare plants the forest complex harbors. The near-threatened '' Palaquium hinmolpedda'' ("Hinmolpedda") is also found here.

Fauna

Some 220 faunal species recorded from the KDN forests and forests around the KDN. This includes 41 endemic species. The forest complex is home to 86 species

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s. This includes 4 species of

shrew Shrews (family Soricidae) are small mole-like mammals classified in the order Eulipotyphla. True shrews are not to be confused with treeshrews, otter shrews, elephant shrews, West Indies shrews, or marsupial shrews, which belong to different fa ...

s, 5

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s, one carnivore and 2

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

s. Out of 26 endemic birds of Sri Lanka, 20 of them can be seen in KDN forest complex. Sri Lanka spurfowl,

Sri Lanka junglefowl The Sri Lankan junglefowl (''Gallus lafayettii'' sometimes spelled ''Gallus lafayetii''), also known as the Ceylon junglefowl or Lafayette's junglefowl, is a member of the Galliformes bird order which is endemic (ecology), endemic to Sri Lanka, w ...

Sri Lanka grey hornbill The Sri Lanka grey hornbill (''Ocyceros gingalensis'') is a bird in the hornbill family and a widespread and common endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. Habitat ...

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. I ...

, orange-billed babbler,

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. I ...

are some of them. 20 percent of Sri Lanka's endemic

freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels of s ...

es inhabit in the waters of

and Nilwala River, which sourced by the springs of Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya. Among the forests' herpetofauna are 36 species of

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

s, 17 endemic species belonging to 6 families. A total of 23 species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

s recorded in these rain forests.

Human imprint and conservation

10,000 people live in 78 villages around the forest complex.

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

, collection of non-timber products,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

cultivation,

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

and

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...

plantations,

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

and other forms of agriculture and cottage industries are main economic activities take place around the forest. Nugegoda, Rajagala and Dediyagala hermitages situated within the forest. The forest complex was subjected to

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

, until suspending in 1988. Fortunately the diversity of species and plants remains largely intact. A forest corridor between

Sinharaja Forest Reserve 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 Conser ...

and the KDN forest complex is being planned for facilitate animal movement between the two forests. Green-billed coucal,

ashy-headed laughingthrush The ashy-headed laughingthrush (''Argya cinereifrons'') is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The laughingthrushes are a large family of Old World passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with th ...

and

white-faced starling The white-faced starling (''Sturnornis albofrontatus'') is a member of the starling family of birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It was for a long time erroneously known as ''S. senex''; this was eventually identified as a j ...

are the bird species listed as endangered. 27 percent of floral species are listed vulnerable, and 45 percent are in the rare plants category.

References