What is SinharajaDense, dark, wet and mysterious - Sinharaja is a primeval forest for meditation, relaxation and for scientific exploration. This relatively undisturbed expanse of primary forest is a Sri Lankan heritage - the last patch of sizeable lowland evergreen Rain Forest still remaining more or intact or undisturbed in our island.
The forest is steeped in deep legend and mystery. The word Sinharaja means, lion (Sinha) king (Raja) and the popular belief it that the legendary origin of the Sinhala people in Sri Lanka is form the descendants of the union the lion king who once lived in the forest and a princess.
Today, the spirit of the legend remains captured in solitude in the silent forest and the rising mist of the early dawn. More than time however separates the modern explorer in the Sinharaja forest from its legendary inhabitants, man has rapidly penetrated the seemingly inaccessible wilderness of the Sri Lanka's rainforest which once covered perhaps over100,000 ha. of the South Western hills and lowlands. The present reserve is but a glimpse of its former glory, occuphying a narrow silver of land 21 km. in length and 3.7 km. in width, covering 11187 ha. of undisturbed and logged forest, scrub and fern land. It was declared an International Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, then a National Wilderness Area in 1988 under the National Heritage Site in 1989.
To the casual observer, the forest represents a tropical rain forest with a dense tall stand of trees, steep and rugged hills etched by numerous rocky streams and rivulets. The value of forests such as Sinharaja are well known for their functions as watersheds and store houses of great biological wealth. It is a rich treasure treasure trove of nature with a great diversity of habitats and a vast repository of Sri Lanka's endemic species found no where else in the world. Sinharaja therefore, represents an irreplaceable genepool, a refugia for all those rare and endangered forms of life, both fauna and flora.
Myths and Legends
The links between the Sinharaja Forest and the Sinhala peoples of Sri Lanka are lost in the mists of legend and lore. Both the forest and the people derive their names from the word "Sinha" lion, and according to legend, the race is the result of the union between a King's daughter and a mighty lion who lived in the forest. The Sinharaja Adaviya i.e. forest, therefore lies embedded in the national consciousness of the Sri Lanka people and occupies a special position of importance.
Legend also claims that the forest was royal territory belonging to the ancient Kings (rajas) of the country and in some early colonial records the forest is referred to as the "Rajasinghe Forest". Yet another states that the forest was the last refuge of the lion, no longer found on the island.
Like all myths, these legends do not state the exact boundaries or location of the forest, and the name seems to have been loosely applied to a group of forest that existed in the south-western section of the island, stretching south form Ratnapura and north form Galle. In fact, taken literally, the name may refer more simply to the "king-sized forest" of the Sinhala people, which perhaps reflects the perception that the local communities had of the forest which seemed to have stretched on all sides around them. However, though precise boundaries were not marked in ancient times, it seems very probable that the forest which lies on the route from Galle to the sacred mountain of Adam's Peak was well known and traversed often. In the past, Galle was the premier port of call for foreign ships and travelers. All pilgrims to the Peak
therefore would have disembarked at Galle and made their way through sections of the forest to Ratnapura to begin their ascent of Adam's Peak. Such a journey is in fact described by the famed Arab traveler Ibn Batuta in the 14th century.
Records in History
Proper documentation of the area begins with the Portuguese, the first European power to seize control of the maritime districts of Sri Lanka. During their administration from 1505 to 1656, t he Portuguese carefully compiled lists of villages so that the task of collecting taxes would be made easier. These lists (thombos) contained not merely names but detailed descriptions of the location and extent of each village as well as of the agricultural produce, including timber and fruit trees, fount there. The antiquity of certain village is made manifest in these Portuguese records for modern towns and villages in the Sinharaja region such as Kalawana and Pothupitiya still bear the same name they had when the Portuguese wrote about them four centuries ago.
The next European power, the Dutch, (1656 - 1796) not only took over and maintained these records but also made a more important contribution of charting the area on maps. By 1789, the Sinharaja region had been demarcated on a map that also traced the course of the two large rivers, the Gin Ganga and the Kalu Ganga which had their head waters in the Sinharaja.
Climate
The Sinharaja lies within a rainfall range of 3,000 to 6,000 millimeters. Rainfall figures available for the last 60 years show values ranging from 3,614 to 5,006 millimeters in places, in and around the Sinharaja . The high annual temperature of the Sinharaja is
typical of the tropics, recording little seasonal variation, but with marked daily ranges. The lowest mean monthly
temperature has been abserved during the wettest season and the highest during the driest season. Conventional temperature
Animal
Mammals
In sinharaja, as in any rain forest, the presence of larger mammals is indicated in the form of droppings, tracks, calls ect. The terrain and structure of the forest, however, make visual sightings comparatively difficult.
The Purple-faced leaf Monkey is perhaps the most observable of the mammals. These monkey move in grounds of 10 to 14, high up in forest canopy and their territorial calls echo for ,miles around the forest. The Toque Monkey is rare the forest but is more commonly observed in the peripheral areas.
Several large mammals are characteristically terrestrial and feed off the forest floor. This group includes herbivorous browsers and mixed feeders, such as the Wild Pig, the Sambhur, the Mouse Deer and the Barking Deer. Although Elephants were common in the periphery of the forest before the logging project, they have not been sighted in the western sector since 1974. However, a small group has been reported in the remnant grassland patches of the Handapan-Ella and Thangamali plains which are contiguous with the northeastern part of the forest.
The major carnivore of the forest is the Leopard. Leopards are seldom sighted but their presence is frequently confirmed by tracks and other sings. Genuinely rare are the Rusty-spotted Cat and the Fishing Cat, while in the periphery of the forest.Of the nocturnal species, the two commonly recorded are the civets and the mongooses. Among these are Civet, an endemic species, and the Striped-necked Mongoose. The Sighting of the latter in 1982 was particularly in sinharaja are mainly rats, shrews and squirrels. Several significant sightings have been made in this group. The Bicoloured Rat and the Spiny Rat, both endemic genera,
were found here, as were the endemic species of shrews, the Long-tailed Shrew and the Horsefield's Shrew. TheBi-coloured Rat and the Long-tailed Shrew have been recorded earlier only at elevations of 1,000 meters and above. The records for Sinharaja at 300 to 500 meters show that they have a considerably wider distribution than thought earlier. The
Horsefield's Shrew too had earlier been recorded only in the eastern range of the central hills, hence the sightings at Sinharaja mark the first record of its occurrence in the wet lowlands.
The small mammals in particular formed the focus of quantitative studies carried out in the early 1980's. the results of comparative studies in three different types of habitats, viz. underscored the importance of undisturbed forests for the survival of endemic species. "The Bicoloured Rat, for example, which was predominant in natural sites disappeared at the slightest disturbance. This indicated the high habitat sensitivity of species. On the other hand, the species such as the spiny Rat appeared to be more adaptable and seemed able to exploit natural forest gaps as well as disturbed sites such as logged forest. There is also clear evidence that natural species are beging repidly displaced by aggressive commensals such as the Bandicoot and the Common House Rat.
There species of squirrels are common in the forest, the Flame-striped Jungle Squirrel, the
Dusky-striped Jungle Squirrel and the Western Giant Squirrel. The latter is an arboreal species; so is the Flying Squirrel seen at dusk. Among other mammals recorded in the forest are the Porcupine and the Pangolin.
Bats are a characteristic group of mammals in the Asian tropics. Six species have been recorded in sinharaja, all of which are insectivorous species. It is interesting that the familiar Flying Fox or Fruit Bat has not been recorded in the forest. The only frugivorous species observed, the Short-nosed Fruit Bat has been sighted at Kudawa, on the outskirts of the forest.
Birds
The Sinharaja Reserve is rich in bird life with an impressive 147 species recorded to date. It is also the only locality where 18 out of 20 birds species endemic to Sri Lanka may be viewed.Interestingly, few endemic and other species thought to be confined to the hill-zone have also been sighted at Sinharaja viz. the White-eye, the Scaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma), the
Wood Pigeon (Columba torrigtoni), the Dusky Blue Flycatcher (Muscicapa sordida) and the Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus). The wide variety of habitat-specific birds seen in Sinharaja is due to the continuous expanse of forest ranging from 300 to 1,500 meters, which provides the habitat of the forest is comparatively better studied than the other groups of animals. These studies include an inventory of the species; more detailed studies on population dynamics, feeding activity and other behavior patterns are currently in progress.
Among the birds recorded in the western sector of the Sinharaja, 13% were migrants. Of the resident species, 18% were confined to the heavily forested areas and 10% to village home-gardens and peripheral scrub areas. At least 36% of the species were common to the forest as well as to outside habitats. This is mainly due to the spread of secondary scrub areas into the forest particularly along logging roads. Data available indicates that most bird species are habitat sensitive and likely to be eliminated if forest areas are disturbed. 56% of the species are either rare or have low population densities. Of the 42% classified as common, a large proportion, 68% were confined to heavily forested undisturbed areas. Meanwhile, the International Council for Birds Preservation (ICBP) world list of threatened bird species for 1989, includes several species found at Sinharaja such as the Blue Magpie, the White-headed Starling, the Ashy-headed Babbler, the Green-billed Coucal, the Red-faced Malkoha, the Spotted-winged Thrush and the Wood Pigeon. Mixed species bird flocks are one of the most interesting experiences of the forest. This peculiar aggregation of birds, is thought to be a strategy for improving feeding efficiency and protection against predators. Observations made on at least 100 such flock at Sinharaja, revel that over 40 species of birds, including 12 endemic species, participate in flocks .
Bird flocks shows a distribution pattern that corresponds closely with the stratified vegetation structure. Different groups of species occupy the forest floor, undergrowth, mid canopy and high canopy. Flocks are also regularly accompanied by animals such as the Giant Squirrel, the Jungle Squirrel, the Purple-faced Leaf Monkey and the Mouse Deer.
Bird ringing has also been carried out regularly at Sinharaja since 1983, mainly to determine the home-range of bird species. So far 164 birds belonging to 32 species have been ringed. This method is also useful for the study of migrant species. In the Sinharaja, three important migrant species have been captured, the Layard's Flycatcher, the
Indian Blue Chat and the Broen Shrike. These were recaptured in the same location during successive year, indicating site specificity of species during migration.
Reptiles
The reptilian fauna of Sinharaja is represented by 45 species, of while 21 are endemic. This includes a large proportion of snakes, several lizards, tortoises and skinks . Among the snakes, two very rare species have been recorded.
These are the burrowing fossorial species Rhinophis tricolorata and Haploceros ceylonensis. Rhinophis was first described as recently as 1975 and was sighted at Sinharaja in 1982, the first time it was found in the wild. Haploceros was considered to be a rare montane species found at elevations of 1,700 to 2,300 meters, until it was recorded in Sinharaja at elevations of 300 to 500 meters
Among the venomous species that occur in the forest are the Green-pitviper while is arboreal, the Hump-nosed Viper and the Krait while frequents the forest floor. The Cobra is seen occasionally while the Russel's Viper has been observed in secondary vegetation, although not seen in the undisturbed forest.
Among the lizards, the commonest is the familiar Green Garden Lizard. Several rare and endemic species of lizards are found in the forest . Among these are Calotes liopepis, an arboreal species while is one of the rarest the island, the Hump-nosed Lizard, the largest lizard in the island; the Earless Lizard and the Rough-nose Horned Lizard are species of the forest floor with very restricted distribution being confined to undisturbed rain forests. A few species of geckos are also common.
The skinks found in the wet-zone of Sri Lanka are of evolutionary significance. The five genera of limbless lizards or the Acintoniae exhibit a progressive series from limbed to limbless forms. The only other centres of distribution of these genera are Madagascar and South Africa. In the Sinharaja, this group is represented by Nessia burtoni or the Three-toed Skink, an endemic genus. However, it is most likely that several more species of unidentified skinks may be present
Amphibians
The rain forest is the habitat parexcellence for amphibians. It is not surprising therefore that half the total number of amphibian species in sri Lanka and nearly half the endemic amphibian are represented in Sinharaja. These amphibians are mainly frogs and toads and a single limbless form
One of the commonest frogs in the forest is the Wrinkled Frog heard frequently from marshes and streams. Several species of tree frogs and the Reed frog while has a call similar to that of a bird can be heard distinctively at night.
The moist environment is conducive for the Sharp-nosed Tree Frog to lay its eggs in a nest of foam on the underside of Cardamom leaves overhanging a stream. This enables the young tadpoles to drop straight into the water when they hatch out. The Lesser Sharpnosed Tree Frog adopts a different strategy. It lays eggs on leaf little where rain water has accumulated. The life cycle is completed within the egg thereby avoiding a free swimming tadpole stage. Others such as Ramnella palmata live their whole life cycle in tree rot holes filled with rain water. The
Guenther's Cliff Frog inhabits vertical rock faced covered with dripping water. the young tadpoles are adapted to living on the wet rock face. These strategies among the amphibia could only be possible in an ever-wet environment. The discovery of Guenther's Cliff Frog in 1982 is particularly significant because its sighting at Sinharaja is the first since the type specimen was collected in 1890.The Yellow-banded Caecilian the only limbless amphibian recorded at Sinharaja, inhabits marshy edges and lives under the wet earth
Fish
The fish show little diversity with only three species commonly occurring in all forest streams. All these
species are endemic to the island. The Comb-tail (Belontia signata) with red tinted fins and tail is found slow moving streams. The Stone-sucker (Garra lamata ceylonensis) is found clinging to rocks where if feeds on moss and the striped loach (Neomachilus notostigma) is found among the leaf little at the bottom of streams.
The Dutch maps made systematic exploration easier during the British colonial period (1796 - 1948) that followed. Under British rule, a number of expeditions were mounted for a variety of purposes. Some, especially the official surveys, were purely commercial in nature. The 1873 exploration by James Gunn, The example was meant to ascertain the suitability of the region for raising coffee plantations and for the possible exploration of its timber resources. On the other hands, George Henry Thwaites in the 1850's was responsible for the first comprehensive documentation of the island's flora in "Enumeratio Plantarum Zelaniae" (1858 -1864) which made numerous references to plants found in the Sinharaja. The most notable of early British explorations of the Sinharaja was that of the soldier-ornithologist, Captain Vincent Legge who incorporated the result of his forays into his work, "The History of the Birds of Ceylon" (1880). In the latter part of the nineteenth century, foresters, botanists and surveyors occasionally visited the flora began to appear in recognized journals. For instance, The forest by Frederick Lewis a forester, appeared in 1896 in "The Ceylon Forester". Further references to plant life in Sinharaja appeared in Henry Trimen's "The Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon" (1893 - 1900).
As far back as 1840, the Sinharaja become Crown Property under the Wasteland Ordinance, Which declared all forest and unoccupied or uncultivated land in the country as crown land. In May 1875, Under an amended ordinance aimed at regulating the felling and removal of timber from land an area of 6,000 acres was declared as the reserved forest of "Sinharaja Mukalana". (Ceylon Government Gazette No. 4046 dated 8th May,1875.)
patterns however change during long periods of drought or excessive rainfall.
Virgin Sinharaja Blog - Special Thank to Asanga Abeywickrama
