Sinharaja Rain Forest Sri Lanka
Sinharaja is a Rain Forest and a biodiversity hotspot which is located in south west lowland wet zone within Sabaragamu and Southern provinces of Sri Lanka. Sinharaja rain forest is the country’s last viable area of primary tropical rain forest. It covers an area of 11,000 Ha of primary and secondary forests. This narrow strip of rolling site comprises of a series of ridges and valleys. More than 60% of the trees are endemic to Sinharaja Forest and many of them are considered rare. There is much endemic wildlife, especially birds but the reserve is also home to over 50% of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of butterflies & mammals and also many kinds of insects, reptiles and rare amphibians. This is one of the main reasons that UNESCO declared Sinharaja Forest as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1988 under the name of Sinharaja Forest Reserve. In 1926 Sinharaja Forest was first recognized as being the only considerable patch of virgin tropical rain forest in the Island.