Understanding Why Conservation Matters for Sri Lanka – Part 4

Photo courtesy of tourhero Sri Lanka in 1881 was an emerald island. Its forests blanketed 84 percent of the land with their canopies stretching endlessly across mountains and valleys. Today, a mere 29.7 percent remains. This is not merely statistics or limited to academic studies. Here is the story of a nation slowly severing its own lifeline. Between 1960 and 2010, nearly one million hectares of forest vanished. Coffee and tea plantations marched across hillsides. Massive irrigation schemes consumed 25,000 acres in single projects. Post-war tourism zones claimed another 17,800 acres. Each cleared hectare represented not just lost trees but…

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