Wildlife of Sri Lanka

Wildlife of Sri Lanka includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism (16% of the fauna and 23% of flowering plants are endemic) in the world even though it is relatively small.

Mammals

Sri Lanka is home to roughly 91 species of mammals, 41 of which are threatened (9 critically). 16 of the species are endemic, of which 14 are threatened, including the large Sloth Bear, the endemic Sri Lanka Leopard and Sri Lankan Elephant and the Sambar. Bats have the highest amount of species (out of 11 mammalian orders), with 30 different species. Sri Lanka's surrounding waters are home to 26 species of Cetaceans.

Reptiles

Sri Lanka currently contains 171 species of reptiles, of which 56 are threatened and 101 are endemic. Most of the reptiles are snakes and the largest are two species of Crocodile, the Mugger crocodile and Saltwater Crocodile.

Amphibians

Main article: List of amphibians of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has one of the most rich diversity of amphibians in the world, containing over 106 species of amphibians (over 90 of which are endemic) and has been claimed to have the highest amphibian species density in the world though that has been challenged. 52 species of amphibians in Sri Lanka are threatened, all but one of which are endemic.

Birds

Main article: List of birds of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is home to 227 species of birds (though some past estimates put it as high as 486), 46 of which are threatened (10 critically).

Fish

Sri Lanka contains 82 species of freshwater fish, of which 28 are threatened.

Flora

Diversity and endemism of plants in Sri Lanka are quite high. There are 3,210 flowering plants belonging to 1,052 genera. 916 species and 18 genera are endemic to the island. Additionally, all but one of the island’s more than 55 dipterocarps are confined to Sri Lanka. Although not lately assessed, Sri Lanka’s ferns are estimated at about 350 species. Diversity, richness, and endemism across all taxa groups are much higher in the wet zone than in the dry zone. Wet zone, which accounts for only a quarter of Sri Lanka’s land area, harbours 88 percent of the flowering plants, and 95 percent of country's flowering plant endemics. The natural forests of Sri Lanka are categorized into eight types.

Protected areas of Sri Lanka

Protected areas of Sri Lanka are administrated by Department of Forest Conservation and Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka.There are 501 protected areas in Sri Lanka. The protected areas falls under supervision Department of Forest Conservation include forests defined in National Heritage Wilderness Area Act in 1988, forest reservations and forests manage for sustainability. World heritage site, Sinharaja Forest Reserve is an example for a National Heritage forest. There are 32 forests categorized as conservation forests including Knuckles Mountain Range. Strict nature reserves, national parks, nature reserves, forest corridors and sanctuaries recognized under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance are managed by Department of Wildlife Conservation. Total of all categories of areas protected is 1,767,000 ha. Protected areas in Sri Lanka accounts for 26.5 percent of total area. This is a higher percentage of protected areas than in all of Asia and much of the World.

Biodiversity

Plant diversity and endemism in Sri Lanka are quiet high. Of 3,210 flowering plants belonging to 1,052 genera, 916 species and 18 genera are endemic. All but one of Sri Lanka's more than 55 dipterocarp (Sinhalese "Hora") are found nowhere else in the world. Sri Lanka's amphibian diversity is only becoming known now. Sri Lanka may be home to as many as 140 species of amphibians. More than 50 known freshwater crabs confined to Sri Lanka.

Deforestation

Between 1990 and 2000, Sri Lanka lost an average of 26,800 ha of forests per year. This amounts to 1.14 percent of average annual deforestation rate. Between 2000 and 2005 rate accelerated to 1.43% per annum.

Conservation effort

92 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) have been identified through a process coordinated by the Wildlife Heritage Trust and University of Peradeniya. Many other data and published literature were also incorporated into the analysis, notably data on Important Bird Areas collected by the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka. Nearly all of these KBAs lie in the wet zone in south western part of the country. These areas considered irreplaceable because all sites contain endemic species that found nowhere else, with some of them harboring more than 100 globally threatened species.
The flora and fauna of Sri Lanka are heavily understudied. For instance Serendib Scops Owl was described and nine other bird species added to the list of endemics only in 2004. Thus the number of endemic species is likely to be a gross underestimate.

Forest reserves and Proposed reserves

A number of forest reserves and proposed reserves are manage by Department of Forest Conservation. These areas are ecosystems with rich biodiversity. Some of the forest reserves and proposed reserves include

• Bambarabotuwa
• Beraliya proposed reserve
• Dellawa proposed reserve
• Delwala
• Gilimale-Erathna
• Kalugala
• Kekunandura
• Kombala-Kottawa
• Malambure
• Morapitiya Runakanda
• Mulatiyana
• Nahitimukalana proposed reserve
• Oliyagankele
• Rammala Kanda
• Viharakele
• Yagirala

Biosphere reserves

World heritage site, Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a protected area in Sri Lanka
There are four biosphere reserves declared under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme. Those are Bundala, Hurulu, Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN) and Sinharaja. Apart from these international biosphere reserves there are national biosphere reserves being designated. 33 being administrated by Department of Forest conservation and another four by Department of Wildlife Conservation.

National protected areas

Depending on their objectives National protected areas are classified into mainly six types. First four categories of the protected areas cover all the ecological and regions of Sri Lanka. The 5, 6, 7 categories were introduced in 1993 by amending Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance. Although there is no region declared under these categories so far.

1. Strict nature reserves
2. National parks
3. Nature reserves
4. Jungle corridors
5. Refuge
6. Marine reserves
7. Buffer zones
8. Sanctuaries

Angammedilla National Park

Location North Central province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city Polonnaruwa
Coordinates 7°54′04.24″N 80°56′13.71″E / 7.9011778°N 80.9371417°ECoordinates: 7°54′04.24″N 80°56′13.71″E / 7.9011778°N 80.9371417°E
Area 7,528.95 ha
Established June 06, 2006
Governing body Department of Wildlife Conservation



Angammedilla National Park is one of the new national parks in Sri Lanka. The region was designated national park on 6^th June, 2006. Originally Angammedilla was a forest reserve within the Minneriya-Girithale Sanctuary declared on 12^th February, 1988. The park is declared mainly to protect the drainage basin of Parakrama Samudra. Angammedilla also secures the drainage basins of Minneriya and Girithale irrigation tanks, water sources in Sudu Kanda (Sinhala for "White hill") and habitats and wildlife of the adjacent forests. It is located 225 kilometres (140 mi) away from Colombo in Polonnaruwa District.

Horagolla National Park

Location - Western Province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city - Gampaha
Coordinates - 7°08′22″N 80°05′08″E / 7.13944°N 80.08556°ECoordinates: 7°08′22″N 80°05′08″E / 7.13944°N 80.08556°E
Area - 13.6 hectares (0.053 sq mi)
Established - 1973
Governing body - Department of Wildlife Conservation



Horagolla National Park is one of the latest national parks in Sri Lanka. It is so called because of an abundance of Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (Hora) trees. The area was originally declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 5 September 1973 due to its rich biodiversity. Later on 24 June 2004, Horagolla was elevated to national park status. Horagolla is the only urban park in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The park is situated close to Horagolla Walauwa, the home of the Bandaranaike family. The park is situated some 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Colombo.

Pigeon Island National Park

Location - Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city - Trincomalee
Coordinates - 8°43′N 81°12′E / 8.717°N 81.2°ECoordinates: 8°43′N 81°12′E / 8.717°N 81.2°E
Area - 471.4 hectares (1.820 sq mi)
Established - 2003
Governing body - Department of Wildlife Conservation



Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province. The island's name derives from the Rock Pigeon which has colonized it. The national park contains some of the best remaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka. Pigeon Island was designated as a sanctuary in 1963. In 2003 it was redesignated as a national park. This national park is the 17th in Sri Lanka. The island was used as a shooting range during the colonial era. Pigeon Island is one of the several protected areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

Hikkaduwa National Park

Location - Southern province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city - Hikkaduwa
Coordinates - 6°08′42″N 80°05′33″E / 6.145°N 80.0925°ECoordinates: 6°08′42″N 80°05′33″E / 6.145°N 80.0925°E
Area - 101.6 ha
Established - September 19 2002
Governing body - Department of Wildlife Conservation



Hikkaduwa National Park is one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka. The national park contains a fringing coral reef of high degree of biodiversity. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on May 18, 1979, and then on August 14, 1988, upgraded to a nature reserve with extended land area. The growth of the number of visitors in the next 25 years increased the degradation of the coral reef. To reduce the effects to the ecosystem, the reef was declared a national park on September 19, 2002.

Coral reef

Hikkaduwa coral reef is a typical shallow fringing reef with an average depth of around 5 metres (16 ft). The coral reef reduces the coastal erosion and forms a natural breakwater. The coast of the national park extends four km. Generally the coast is narrow, ranging from 5-50 m according to the climatic conditions of the year. Scuba diving is a popular recreation here.

Kaudulla National Park

Location - North Central province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city - Polonnaruwa
Coordinates - 8°09′40″N 80°54′18″E / 8.16111°N 80.905°ECoordinates: 8°09′40″N 80°54′18″E / 8.16111°N 80.905°E
Area - 6,900 ha
Established - April 01, 2002
Visitors - 10,000 (in 2005)
Governing body - Department of Wildlife Conservation



Kaudulla National Park is a national park on the island of Sri Lanka located 197 kilometres (122 mi) away from the largest city, Colombo. It was designated a national park on April 1, 2002 becoming the 15th such area on the island. In the 2004–2005 season more than 10,000 people visited the National Park, generating an income of Rs.100,000 from entrance fees. Along with Minneriya and Girithale BirdLife International have identified Kaudulla as an Important Bird Area.

Historically Kaudulla was one of the 16 irrigation tanks built by King Mahasen. Following a period of abandonment it was reconstructed in 1959. It now attracts and supports a variety of plant and animal life, including large mammals, fish and reptiles