Tour of Kanneliya Forest Reserve

Kanneliya is a tropical low land rain forest of Sri Lanka and which is at Galle district. Kanneliya Nakiyadeniya and Dadiyagala is famous low land rain forests in Sri Lanka and its called KDN complex. Kanneliya is 35km Northeast of Galle .

Kanneliya forest covers total of about 5305.9 ha and core unit of the Kanneliya forest reserve is about 5108.2ha. Kanneliya lies between 6° 09 - 6° 18° N and 80 19° - 80 27° E. Kanneliya is very important to biological diversity. Several waterways, waterfalls, rivers and small waterways at Kanneliya. Gin River is main and biggest water way of Kanneliya forest reserve. The forest has been subjected to selective logging from 1940 to 0987. There fore, The forest department has developed a plan to management and develop the forest.

There are high proportion of endemism among the 234 identified woody tree spaces, with 141 being endemic to Sri Lanka. Totally there are 301 plant types can be found at Kanneliya forest reserve. Some 133 faunal species with 59 birds. 14 amphibians 32 butterflies, 7 snakes, 10 mammals.

Several conservation programs held in Kanneliya for project this forest. Along with the new conservation initiative this forest seems to have got a reasonable regeneration and rich bio diversity as mentioned above.