The first account of the Sinharaja
rain forest is a myth which represents a special connection between the forest
and the Sinhala people. “Both the forest and the people derive their names from
the word “Sinha” lion, and according to the legend, the race is the result of
the union between a King’s daughter and a mighty lion who lived in the forest”
(http://www.sinharaja.4t.com/pages/myths_and_legends.htm)
After this myth, the first recorded
histories of the rainforest show that three countries ruled over the rainforest
before Sri Lanka took power. From the period of 1505 to 1656, the Portugese had
control over the forest, and used the land to primarily collect taxes on
surrounding villagers. The Dutch took over the land in 1656 and reigned over it
until the British claimed it in 1796. While the Dutch had the forest in their
possession, they became the first people to map out the forest. However, once
the British came to rule, the Sinharaja forest was used a lot more. The British
not only studied the species of the forest, but also extracted timber and grew
coffee and tea on plantations in order to profit. (http://www.sinharaja.4t.com/).
In the last 100 years, there have been many
efforts to protect the Sinharaja rain forest. In 1986, the forest was named as
a World Heritage Site, from which it gains some protection. The National
Heritage Wilderness Areas Act, which was passed in 1998, allowed resources to
be removed only when approved by parliament and the president of Sri Lanka. As
the Forest Department is responsible for regulating the forest, it has
introduced a number of regulations and programs to protect the resources of
Sinharaja. Some of these efforts include planting tress to outline the
boundaries of the forest reserve in 1978 and limiting the resource use of the
forest in 1986. One downfall in the protection of the forest, was the approval
for logging by the government in 1968, which affected 1,400 ha of forest.
However, with the help of protests, this logging was made illegal in 1977. The
continuous use of regulation by the Forest Department within the forest has
helped it maintain a positive conservation status to this day. (http://www.unep-wcmc.org/medialibrary/2011/06/13/3e09aced/Sinharaja%20Forest%20Reserve.pdf
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| Clearing land for tea plantation:1880 |
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| Camp Site:1930 |
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