Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Sinharaja is the last extensive tract of primary rainforest remaining in Sri Lanka, covering about 89 square kilometers across the Rathnapura, Galle and Kalutara districts and formally protected as a reserve since 1978. It is considered the densest rainforest in Asia, with vegetation believed to trace to forest that has persisted since roughly the Jurassic period, and over 60 percent of its trees are endemic to the island. The reserve shelters 19 of Sri Lanka's 20 endemic bird species along with endemic reptiles, amphibians, insects such as the Sri Lankan birdwing butterfly, and mammals including elephants, leopards and several primates, while surrounding communities sustainably gather herbal plants and other non-timber forest products. UNESCO inscribed Sinharaja as a World Heritage Site in 1988; its own designation combines forest reserve status with recognition as a biosphere reserve rather than one clean IUCN management category, so it is placed here as the closest disclosed fit.