Kanneliya Rain Forest

  

Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya, or KDN, is a forest reserve in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Identified as one of the most floristically rich areas in South Asia; this forest region is the last remaining large rainforest in Sri Lanka, other than the Sinharaja Rainforest. The forest is situated 35km northwest of the City of Galle; and is a major catchment area for two of the most important rivers in southern Sri Lanka, Gin Ganga and Nilwala Ganga. Designated as a biosphere reserve in 2004 by UNESCO, the Kanneliya forest reserve home to many endemic plant and animal species.

Geographical Features

The KDN forest reserve consists of a series of parallel hills and valleys; ranging in elevation from 60m to 425m above sea level, and extending to an area of approximately 5306 hectares. It acts as a catchment for many rivers and streams; including Gin Ganga and Nilwala Ganga, that have their sources within the forest, and flow toward the west and the east of the forest respectively. Kanneli (from which Kanneliya gains its name), Nanikiththa and Udugama are the smaller streams that begin within the Kanneliya Rainforest; while Homa Dola and Gal Bandi Dola are sourced by the Nakiyadeniya and Dediyagala and pass through the forest. The forest receives a substantial rainfall of 3,750mm; with a mean annual temperature of 27.0°C, which can vary approximately 4°C to 5°C. Many ancient taxonomic groups of Gondwana are present in these rain forests. They also relate to Indo-Malayan plants and animals.

Flora and Fauna

The Kanneliya Forest reserve has large number of endemic flora and fauna; with 17 percent of lowland endemic floral species confined to this forest area, and 41 species of endemic fauna living there. Of the 319 woody plants recorded in the KDN forest reserve, about 52 per cent are endemic. The vegetation is representative of the Sri Lankan lowland rainforests; with the floral communities dominated by Shorea, Dipterocarpus, and Mesua plants, which is common in the emergent layer. The forest also harbours numerous medicinal plants and rare plants within the forest; including  yellow vine (Concinium fenestratum), Salacia reticulata, heart-leaved moonseed (Tinospora cordifolia), coarse tassel fern (Lycopodium Squarrosum), and coarse tassel fern (Lycopodium phlegmaria). 27 percent of the floral species within the forest are listed as vulnerable, and 45 percent are in the rare plants category.

Kanneliya also has a total of over 220 known species of fauna; including 86 species of mammals, 36 species of snakes, and several species of avian life and fish. Amongst the bird species here; 26 birds are endemic with 20 of them