On September 26, 2023, Rainforest Protectors Trust added an additional 6 acres of formerly privately owned forest land into the Protected Buffer Zone of Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest. Having raised only 10% of the required funds and time running out, an individual donor came forward to contribute the balance and save the forest from being clearcut. With this acquisition and conversion of private forest land into conservation forest, Rainforest Protectors Trust has added a total of 30 acres of primary forest to the Protected Buffer Zone as of September 2023. Through the creation of the Protected Buffer Zone, we will be able to significantly reduce encroachment and illegal activities including poaching and deforestation within Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest.

This beautiful 6 acre primary forest land directly borders the Northern boundary of Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest and also directly borders conservation land #4 (10 acres) protected by Rainforest Protectors Trust previous year, thus creating a contiguous protected buffer zone. It consists of giant endangered native trees such as Hora (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus), with two water streams bordering either side. The area is home to the endangered Sri Lanka Blue Magpie and Red Faced Malkoha, two beautiful birds found nowhere else. Mammals living in the area include porcupine, sambur deer and wild boar. The area is also visited by the last two remaining rainforest elephants of Sinharaja. Therefore, it has a high conservation value and by protecting this unique habitat we have taken a step forward towards creating bio-diversity corridors between Sinharaja and nearby fragmented rainforests as well as protecting our catchment areas.

Link to Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Bn2LeEMHWYQAoZ2t5

We wish to thank all the donors who supported us and hope others will join the initiative to create the protected buffer zone aimed at preventing encroachment and stopping deforestation of Sinharaja rainforest.