Funday Times

Knuckles Forest Region
The knuckles forest region, covering an area of approximately 21000 ha, is located in the Kandy and Matale Districts of central Sri Lanka, spanning the upland and highland peneplains. It is separated from the main central highlands by a deeply incised valley of the Mahaweli river, commonly referred to as the 'Dumbara Valley'. The general landscape of the area is extremely rugged, with at least 35 peaks rising above 900m. The aggregation of spectacular peaks is a unique feature in the Knuckles forest range, found nowhere else in the island. The highest peak of the Knuckles mountain range is Gombaniya(1900m).

The Knuckles forest region is an important watershed, with several streams draining east into lower Mahaweli system (eg. Hasalaka Oya, Maha Oya, and Heen Ganga), south-west into the upper Mahaweli system (eg.,Huluganga), and north-west into the Amban Ganga system (eg., Teligam Oya and Kalu Ganga) (see Figure 1) The Knuckles catchment area contributes to about 30% of the water in Victoria, Randenigala and Rantambe reservoirs of the river Mahaweli.

The location of the Knuckles forest region in the Intermediate Climatic Zone in the island has resulted in a wide range of rainfall and temperature in different parts of the region. The highland areas of the knuckles forest range is extremely wet throughout the year, with an average annual rainfall of about 5000mm, while the lower eastern slopes are much drier, with less than 2500mm. The area is also exposed to strong winds during monsoon periods.

The wide range of climatic and landscape features in the knuckles region has resulted in a variety of natural vegetation types, ranging from lowland semi-evergreen forests to montane forest. These vegetation types harbour a rich composition of animals and plants, some of which are unique to Sri Lanka.

Although the hill ranges remain as uninhabited wilderness, traditional human settlements occur along the narrow river valleys. The villagers are involved in the cultivation of paddy in terraced fields, supplemented with chena cultivation. Commercial plantations of tea and cardamom are also located within the knuckles forest range. Patches of plantation forests, dominated by Pinus, are located in area bordering the Knuckles region.

The biological and hydrological value of the Knuckles forest region was recognized more than a century ago, when the areas above 1500m in the Knuckles range was declared as a climatic reserve in 1873. Since then, the area received legal conservation status under the Forest Ordinance, administered by the Forest Department of Sri Lanka. In 1987, the Ministry of Lands, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development and the Forest Department initiated a project to enhance the conservation of Knuckles forest region, with technical assistance from IUCN-The World Conservation Union. The project was intended to demarcate the boundaries of the Knuckles protected area, and identify critical management issues that are relevant for planning the sustainable management of Knuckles forest region. Upon the successful completion of this project, the Knuckles forest was declared as a Conservation Forest (an extent of 17,500 ha) by the Government in April 2000. Subsequently, the whole area was declared as a National Man Biosphere Reserve. The Knuckles forest reserve has also been nominated for declaration as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve and a natural World Heritage Site.

Origin of the name "Knuckles"
Originally, the villagers called this region the 'Dumbara Kanduvetiya', meaning 'misty mountains'. The area was named as 'Knuckles' by British Surveyors, due to prominent landscape feature-a group of five peaks that resemble the knuckles of a clenched fist, seen from many viewpoints in the area east and north-east of Kandy.

The five peaks, extending from West to South-east include Kirigalpottha (1642m), Gomaniya (1900m), Knuckles (1852m), Koboneelagala (1544m) and Dotulugala (1564m), respectively.

Information from
Forest Department
Coordinated by
Duminda Sanjeewa Balasooriya

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