Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

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Central Highlands of Sri Lanka: A Biodiverse Haven

The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, are a remarkable testament to the exceptional biodiversity found within this South Asian island nation. Comprising three protected areas—the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, Horton Plains National Park, and the Knuckles Conservation Forest—this mountainous region serves as a refuge for a wide array of endemic and endangered species.

Located in the south-central part of Sri Lanka, the Central Highlands rise to elevations of around 2,500 meters above sea level. This dramatic altitude gradient gives rise to a variety of ecosystems, ranging from lowland rainforests to montane cloud forests, creating ideal conditions for extraordinary levels of plant and animal diversity.

Among the many fascinating creatures that call the Central Highlands home is the montane purple-faced langur (Trachypithecus vetulus monticola). This primate, endemic to Sri Lanka, is characterized by its thick, bear-like fur coat and an exceptionally long tail used for balance while navigating the canopy. The Horton Plains slender loris (Loris tardigradus nycticeboides), another endemic species, is a nocturnal, slow-moving primate, considered critically endangered and extremely rarely observed in the wild.

The Central Highlands are also home to the elusive Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya). Operating as the island's apex predator, this subspecies is renowned for its large, robust build and its lighter coat, well-adapted to the montane environment. The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is another iconic species of the island, with populations estimated at around 5,000 individuals across Sri Lanka as a whole.

In addition to these charismatic megafauna, the Central Highlands boast a wealth of other wildlife, including the sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) and the Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), while the island's drier lowlands host the famous Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans). The region is also home to over 300 bird species, including the Sri Lanka junglefowl (Gallus lafayettii), the Sri Lanka woodpigeon (Columba torringtoniae), and the Sri Lanka whistling thrush (Myophonus blighi).

The Central Highlands form part of the broader Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, a globally significant region characterized by exceptionally high levels of endemism. This status underscores the importance of preserving the Central Highlands and ensuring the survival of the unique and captivating creatures that inhabit this remarkable landscape.

In summary, the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka stand as a shining example of the incredible biodiversity found within our world. With their unique ecosystems, high levels of endemism, and designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they remain a vital stronghold for biodiversity conservation and a striking reminder of the richness of the natural world.

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Sri Lanka's highlands are situated in the south-central part of the island. The property comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These montane forests, where the land rises to 2,500 metres above sea-level, are 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. The region is considered a super biodiversity hotspot.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (ix): The property includes the largest and least disturbed remaining areas of the submontane and montane rain forests of Sri Lanka, which are a global conservation priority on many accounts. The component parts stretch across the Ceylonese rainforest and the Ceylonese monsoon forest. In the montane forests represented by the three serial properties, the faunal elements provide strong evidence of geological and biological processes in the evolution and development of taxa. The endemic purple-faced langur of Sri Lanka (Semnopithecus vetulus) has evolved into several morphologically different forms recognizable today. The Sri Lankan leopard, the only representative in the island of the genus Panthera, which diverged from other felids about 1.8 million years ago, is a unique sub-species (Panthera pardus kotiya). All three nominated properties provide habitat to this subspecies of leopard, endemic to Sri Lanka. Long isolation and the concomitant evolutionary processes have also resulted in a Sri Lankan molluscan fauna that is the most distinct in the South Asian region.

Criterion (x): The montane forests in the three serial components contain the only habitats of many threatened plant and animal species and are therefore of prime importance for their in-situ conservation. The property features exceptionally high numbers of threatened species, extraordinary levels of endemism, and high levels of species richness in a number of taxonomic groups. Of the 408 species of vertebrates 83%of indigenous fresh water fishes and 81 % of the amphibians in Peak Wilderness Protected Area are endemic, 91 % of the amphibians and 89% of the reptiles in Horton Plains are endemic, and 64% of the amphibians and 51% of the reptiles in the Knuckles Conservation Forest are endemic.

Encyclopedia Record: Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is a recognised World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka. The site comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are rain forests and montane cloud forests where the elevation reaches 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level. The region harbors a variety of mammal species including the bear monkey, Trachypithecus vetulus monticola, and the critically endangered [possibly extinct] Horton Plains slender loris, Loris tardigradus nycticeboides,.

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IUCN World Heritage Outlook

The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Central Highlands of Sri Lanka reports the following assessment:

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment