The
Sinharaja World Heritage Site is the largest remnant of Sri Lanka's
forests and contains the Sinharaja Forest Dynamics Plot. The Sinharaja
Forest Dynamics Plot was founded in 1993 by the University of
Peradeniya in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Department of Forestry, and
CTFS/Harvard University. The forests of Sri Lanka display relatively
low diversity but very high endemism. For example, in the Sinharaja
World Heritage Site, 70% of its 190 tree species are endemic. The
Sinharaja Forest Dynamics Plot contains one-half of the species in the
World Heritage Site's lowland rain forests and one-quarter of all of
Sri Lanka's tree species. The forest demographic work at the plot
complements ongoing silvicultural and economic studies of the
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Forest Department, Yale School of
Forestry and the Environment, CTFS/Harvard University. Research issues
at Sinharaja include silvicultural management for diverse forest
products including hardwoods, forest restoration, and the biological
stability of forests of low biological diversity.
Year Initiated |
Plot Size |
Latitude-Longitude
& Altitude |
Rainfall & Dry Season |
Species & Trees |
1993 |
25 ha |
6.4023 - 80.4023
424-575 M |
5016 mm
0 mos |
204 spp
193,400 trees |
|