Walauwatta Wathurana Swamp Forest

The Walauwatta-Wathurana swamp forest is located in the Kalu Ganga river basin in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka, 25 km inland from the coastal town of Kalutara. More precisely, the site is situated along a stream locally known as the Batapotte ela, which feeds the Kuda Ganga, the latter being a tributary of the Kalu Ganga. Wathurana is the most significant swamp forest in Sri Lanka. As such, it is considered a site of national importance and harbours some unique species of flora and fauna.

Weerawila-Tissa-Debara-Yoda Tanks

The Weerawila, Debara, Tissa, Pannangamuwa and Yoda wewa tanks form a multi-purpose, ancient, shallow, freshwater tank cluster ranging from small to medium in size. Located in the old area of the Kirindi Oya Irrigation and Settlement Project (KOISP), the tanks are of major importance for buffer storage of irrigation water and are surrounded by densely populated, intensively managed agricultural lands. The tanks provide an alternative series of freshwater habitats for water birds in the network of predominantly brackish to saline coastal wetlands in southeast Sri Lanka. The Weerawila tank is considered an IBA, due to its high richness of aquatic birds. Part of the tank system falls within the Weerawila-Tissa wildlife sanctuary and remnants of Sri Lanka’s ancient Ruhuna kingdom are also found within the wetland cluster.

Weligama Reef

The Weligama reef is an important shallow fringing coral reef habitat located along the southern coast. It was once considered to be one of the best coral reefs along the southwest coast with a live coral cover of over 80%, but has since been severely degraded by both human and natural impacts. Weligama is an important fishing area and the reef is important for the collection of ornamental fish species.