Peak Wilderness Sanctuary

IUCN category
Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
Designation type
National
Designation
Strict Natural Reserve
Surface area
12,979 ha
Status year
2007
Governing type
Federal or national ministry or agency
Body

Peak Wilderness sanctuary is a natural reserve in Sri Lanka. It is the third-largest (by area) of the 50 sanctuaries in the country.

"Sri Pada" Peak Wilderness sanctuary is a tropical rain forest that spreads over a land of 224 square kilometers around the Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) mountain. A huge forest area that belonged to the Peak Wilderness was cut down and cleared during the British colonial rule in Sri Lanka (1815-1948) to gain land for the massive tea estates which are still functioning in Nuwara Eliya district. The remaining portion of the Peak Wilderness was declared a wildlife sanctuary on October 25, 1940.

Bernard Gagnon CC BY-SA 3.0