Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is a recognised

world Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The site comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the

Horton Plains National Park Horton Plains National Park ( si, හෝර්ටන් තැන්න ජාතික උද්‍යානය, Hortan Thanna Jathika Udyanaya) is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It is locate ...

and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are rain forests, where the elevation reaches above sea level. The region harbors a variety of mammal species including the bear monkey, ''Trachypithecus vetulus monticola'', (a subspecies of purple-faced langur) and the Horton Plains slender loris, ''Loris tardigradus nycticeboides'', (a subspecies of

red slender loris The red slender loris (''Loris tardigradus'') is a small, nocturnal strepsirrhine primate native to the rainforests of Sri Lanka. This is No. 6 of the 10 focal species and No. 22 of the 100 EDGE mammal species worldwide considered the most evo ...

). This is the first Sri Lankan World Heritage site to be designated in 22 years, since the

Sinharaja Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to International Union for Conse ...

was enlisted in 1988. Originally submitted for inscription as a mixed cultural and natural site, the Committee recognized only the natural values of the site. On 31 July 2010, the

World Heritage Committee The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance ...

holding its 34th session in

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

inscribed Central Highlands of Sri Lanka and Papahānaumokuākea of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

as new World Heritage Sites.

Sites

The Sri Lanka montane rain forests represent the montane and submontane moist forests above in the central highlands and in the Knuckles mountain range. Half of Sri Lanka's

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s and 51 percent of the endemic vertebrates are restricted to this ecoregion. This ecoregion is inhabited by five strict endemic mammals and eight near-endemics. The ecoregion also harbors five strict endemic bird species and 20 near endemics. The site incorporates three protected areas; * Peak Wilderness Sanctuary *

and *

Knuckles Mountain Range The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed ...

Peak Wilderness Sanctuary is a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

of of land area, which was established on 25 October 1940. Horton Plains National Park adjoins the eastern boundary. Horton Plains National Park has been originally designated a nature reserve on 5 December 1969 later elevated to the national park status on 16 March 1988. Knuckles mountain range is situated to the northeast and its

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

, endemic flora and fauna is distinct from montane forest of central massif.

References

{{Kandy landmarks World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka Landforms of Central Province, Sri Lanka Highlands

Sites

See also

References