The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, including Adam’s Peak, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest, were added to the World Heritage List yesterday by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its 34th sessions in Brazil.
The area, where the land rises to 2,500 metres above sea-level, is home to an extraordinary range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species such as the western-purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard. It is also considered a biodiversity treasure trove.
The sessions of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation held under the chairmanship of Brazil’s Culture Minister João Luiz da Silva Ferreira also appointed Sri Lanka to the 21-member World Heritage Council.
The new addition brings the total number of World Heritage sites around the world to 892.
Sri Lanka already has seven heritage sites. They are the five Cultural Triangle sites at Sigiriya Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla and Kandy, the Galle Fort and the Sinharaja rainforest.
Sri Lanka's application for three new World Heritage sites evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) and the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
Sri Lanka’s delegation included Deputy Environment Minister Faiszer Musthapha, Forests Conservator General Sarath Fernando and Forest Department Director A.A. Kulatunga.
Brazil played a key role in supporting Sri Lanka's membership in the World Heritage Council. |
E-mail
