Sri Lanka is a little smaller than Hokkaido.
It is a diversified country, having coastline that exceeds 100 km,
jungles with full of trees and mountains of sea level exceeding
1,000 m. Thanks to it, various creatures live.
When compared with other Asian regions, quantity of animal species
seen in a certain area in Sri Lanka is ranked No. 1 for mammalian,
amphibian and reptile and No. 2 for bird. |
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In order to make use of wood and to make
fields for coffee or tea, the forest that covered abut 85% of national
land area in 1880 is decreased to about 70% in 1900 and further
down to 45% in 1960. The forest ratio at present is about 27%.
Surrounding area of Sinharaja Forest Reserve located in southwest
of Sri Lanka, registered as the world natural heritage in 1989 (The
total area is about 112 square kilometer.) is no exception at all.
Forests are divided. |
Thus, Ricoh worked on Sri Lanka Wild Bird
Ornithology Research Group and launched in 1999 the activities to
plant saplings of natural forest for the purpose of connecting the
divided forests.
At Sinharaja Forest Reserve, about 95% (147 kinds) of birds live
in the whole Sri Lanka can be observed.
While particularly remarkable "Sri Lanka Blue Magpie"
is a representative bird, it is an endangered species, as recorded
in the Asian Red Data Book publicized in 2000.
In the activities to connect the forests supported by Ricoh, the
central point of the activity is located in Oliyagankele, southwest
of Sinharaja Forest Reserve. Here also, sometimes ago Sri Lanka
Blue Magpie living was observed. But not now.
Thus, we will conduct forest recovery activities in Oliyagankele
and investigate number of Sri Lanka Blue Magpie living to check
if the activities are effective.
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In order to recover the forest where various
creatures like Sri Lanka Blue Magpie can peacefully live, we decided
to plant the trees originally existed there. For such purpose, we
investigated as many as 2291 trees of 10 cm or more diameter grown
in Oliyagankele area. And we found there were 108 kinds of the trees
originally existed there. Out of them, we selected and planted 34
kinds of trees suitable for initial planting. |
After the project started, Oliyagankele
area suffered from drought and we did not get seeds from the selected
34 kinds of natural trees for quite some times. At last in 2002,
we got them and now people from 7 families are growing saplings.
In order to recover forest, local inhabitants must have strong will
of forest preservation. And people must know why they have to preserve
forest, what happens if there is no forest.
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Thus, in order to communicate it, we built Environmental Education
Center in Oliyagankele area and also made the Nature Trail.Also,
we put on the tree the plate on which name of the tree was written.
This center is visited by students and teachers of nearby schools
at the pace of once a month. We communicate to the visitors importance
of forest preservation, through distributing pamphlet, giving nature
observation and lecture. This project is highly appreciated by Sri
Lanka government which also renders cooperation to us.
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