Belihuloya, Ratnapura District – Budunwela Reserve
This land is margined by a forest reserve belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation in one side and the Uwa Kosgama village on the another.
This exciting wildlife rich location was purchased directly by PLANT through primary funding support from the Quick Response Fund for Nature of USA (www.quickresponsefund.org ) along with funds from the Vikram and Nikhil Lissenburgh Trust plus a private International Donor. This land is a key connector space, margined by a forest reserve belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation in one side and the Uwa Kosgama village on the another. The forest area is located in the intermediate zone in the Rathnapura district and near the border of the Uwa Sabaragamuwa provincial boundary. The land is rich with vegetation types such as riverine, grassland and forest vegetations. According to the Copen Geiger climate classification, the Budunwela area falls under Tropical Rainforest (Af) climate. However, the Budunwela area lies within the intermediate zone and a narrow strip lies between the wet and the dry zones.
The Tropical Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) were already doing great work on the location by providing oversight and custodianship, enabling field research and data gathering, deploying camera traps to scientifically monitor animal movement and behaviour, providing field research training to students, and safeguarding the land. TERN is a registered nonprofit organization, dedicated to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection in Sri Lanka, through facilitating research, education, conservation, sustainable development and community outreach. As the images from the Camera traps show (courtesy of TERN) this is a critical connecting migration route for a range of species, and PLANT purchased this property to help protect this important virtual highway for animal traffic. A small structure had already been built within the property to accommodate overnight stay and observations, for research purposes. Several animals in turn frequently check out the research location as well. The team from TERN will actively continue to play their prior roles within the property, with PLANT bringing in added resources and networks to help further strengthen the ongoing conservation work in and around that area.
