Sinharaja Rain Forest Sri Lanka
In the southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces of Sri Lanka, in the south-west lowland wet zone, is Sinharaja, a rain forest and a hotspot for biodiversity. The country's only remaining primary tropical rain forest is located in Sinharaja. The word "Sinharaja" means "Lion King" in English. 11,000 hectares of primary and secondary woods are present there. This short stretch of hilly terrain is made up of several hills and valleys. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Sinharaja is the final tract of primary tropical rainforest left in the nation (IUCN). More than 60% of the trees in Sinharaja Forest are native to the area, and many of them are unique. There is a lot of endemic wildlife in the reserve, particularly birds, but there are also many different kinds of insects, reptiles, and uncommon amphibians, as well as over 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic butterfly and mammal species. This is one of the key causes behind UNESCO's 1988 declaration of Sinharaja Forest Reserve as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sinharaja Forest was initially identified in 1936 as the Island's sole sizable area of natural tropical rain forest.
