Threatened woody endemics of the wet lowlands of Sri Lanka and their conservation

Abstract

Over 90% of the endemic angiosperm flora of Sri Lanka, a relict of Deccan-Gondwana ancestry, is restricted to the perhumid south-west of the island, where nine of the 13 terrestrial floristic regions are located. During the last 25 years, primary forests of the island have been reduced by 40% and the remaining 9% is threatened by forest conversion projects.Phytosociological surveys enumerating over 29 500 trees and lianas have been carried out in nine rain forests belonging to three of the richest floristic regions. Of the 184 endemic species recorded in these studies, 93% were either Endangered, Vulnerable or Rare according to the IUCN Red Data Book classification. This included 29 species traditionally exploited by villagers for their needs.To provide in situ conservation for many of these threatened endemics, the preservation of representative samples of rain forests in different floristic regions is strongly advocated.