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Buffer zone restoration and development in Knuckles conservation area, Sri Lanka: An overview of Darwin Initiative Project
By Dewwanthi Karunarathna | March 10, 2008
The Knuckles Conservation Area, which extends to an area about 17, 500 ha of central uplands of Sri Lanka, is famous for its highly diverse species of flora and fauna, endemism and many unique habitats. Over few decades, much of the forest in the area was cleared for the cultivation of coffee, tea and then cardamom. The buffer zone, therefore, consists of a mosaic of anthropogenically derived vegetation types that vary in habitat quality, including degraded grasslands and natural forest fragments under-planted with Cardamom. In this context, a project primarily focussed on research, training and knowledge dissemination, funded by Darwin Initiative of the government of UK is jointly launched in Knuckles region by University of Aberdeen, UK and University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka along with other partner organisations for three years. It has already passed the first sixth months of its implementation. The project aims to enhance the sustainable conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem services in the Knuckles by addressing the main threats to environmental protection through the development of options for buffer zone management that improve the livelihoods of local communities. This paper is, therefore, supported with ideas and information gathered from preliminary project workshop and field observation at Knuckles, assess the relevancy of this project in the context and explore the conservation related issues in Knuckles. Beyond that, in addition to the experience with the project so far, this paper examines the approach adopted for the restoration and development of Knuckles and its surrounding buffer zone.
B Dhakal1 and M A Pinard2
1Darwin Initiative Project, Post graduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 2Department of Plant and Soil Science, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Topics: Biodiversity, symposium 2006 | 2 Comments »
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
dear miss dewwanthi
im undergraduate of wayamba univercity.currently i do resarch on newly bron plant species on buffer zone.if you can email me your resarch perposal,resarch paper and other detail which you collected for your resarch,im very gladfull to you.
your friend,
buddika,
wayamba univercity of sri lanka,
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Buddika, Please contact authors of this paper at Univeristy of Peradeniya: B Dhakal, Darwin Initiative Project, Post graduate Institute of Science (PGIS), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka