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Sri Lanka
Forest Information and Data
According to the U.N. FAO,
28.8% or about 1,860,000 ha of Sri Lanka was forested in 2010, according to FAO. Of this 9.0% ( 167,000 ) is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. Sri Lanka had 185,000 ha of planted forest.
Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2010, Sri Lanka lost an average of 24,500 ha or 1.04% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Sri Lanka lost 20.9% of its forest cover, or around 490,000 ha.
Sri Lanka's forests contain 61 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
Biodiversity and Protected Areas: Sri Lanka has some 751 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 21.7% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 11.9% are threatened. Sri Lanka is home to at least 3314 species of vascular plants, of which 26.9% are endemic. 9.6% of Sri Lanka is protected under IUCN categories I-V.
2011 Update
In May 2011, Sassan Saatchi of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab and colleagues published a paper in PNAS with new carbon stock estimates for global tropical forests.
| Forest definition (canopy cover %) | 10% tree cover | 25% tree cover | 30% tree cover | | Forest Area (M ha) | 4 | 3 | 3 | | Aboveground forest carbon (Mt C) | 301 | 234 | 203 | | Belowground forest carbon (Mt C) | 86 | 66 | 57 | | Total forest carbon (Mt C) | 387 | 300 | 260 | | Average Carbon Density (t C/ha) | 86 | 94 | 99 |
M=million, t=metric tons; all figures are mean carbon stock values
Sri Lanka Environmental profile
The following contains data relating to forest cover in Sri Lanka
Previous version of this profile (2009)
SECTIONS:
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Sri Lanka: Forest Cover, 2010
| Total Land Area (1000 ha) | 6463 |
| Total Forest Area (1000 ha) | 1860 |
| Percent Forest Cover | 29 |
| Primary Forest Cover (1000 ha) | 167 |
| Primary Forest, % total forest | 9 |
| Other wooded land (1000 ha) | 0 |
| Percent other wooded land | 0 |
Sri Lanka: Breakdown of forest types, 2010
| Primary forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 167 | 9 |
| Other naturally regenerated forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 1508 | 81 |
| Planted Forest (1000 ha | % of forest area) | 185 | 10 |
Sri Lanka: Trends in Total (Net) Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| TOTAL FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 2350 | 2082 | 1933 | 1860 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -27 | -30 | -15 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -1.20 | -1.47 | -0.77 | |
Sri Lanka: Trends in Natural Forest Cover (Deforestation), 1990-2010
| FOREST COVER (excluding planted forests) (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 2108 | 1861 | 1738 | 1675 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -25 | -25 | -19 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -1.2 | -1.17 | -1
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Sri Lanka: Trends in Primary or Old Growth Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PRIMARY FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 257 | 197 | 167 | 167 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -6 | -6 | 0 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -2.62 | -3.25 | 0 | |
Sri Lanka: Trends in Planted Forest Cover, 1990-2010
| PLANTED FOREST COVER (1000 ha) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 242 | 221 | 195 | 185 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (1000 ha)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -2 | -5 | -2 | |
ANNUAL CHANGE RATE (percent)
Negative number represents deforestation |
| 1990-2000 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 |
| -0.90 | -2.47 | -1.05 | |
Sri Lanka: Primary designated function (percent)
| Production | Protection of soil and water | Conservation of biodiversity | Social services | Multiple use | Other | None or unknown |
| 9 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka: Forest ownership and management rights 2005 (percent)
| OWNERSHIP PATTERN |
| Public ownership | Private ownership | Other |
| 93 | 7 | 0 |
| PRIVATE OWNERSHIP |
| Individuals | Business entities and institutions | Local, indigenous and tribal communities |
| - | - | - |
| HOLDER OF MANAGEMENT RIGHTS OF PUBLIC FORESTS |
| Public administration | Individuals | Business
entities and Institutions | Communities | Other |
| 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka: Growing stock in forest
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
Total
(million m3) | Per hectare
(m3) | Coniferous
(million m3) | Broadleaved
(million m3) | % commercial species |
| 39 | 21 | - | - | - |
| GROWING STOCK IN FOREST |
| Total (million m3) | Per hectare (m3) | Coniferous (million m3) | Broadleaved (million m3) | % commercial species |
| - | - | | | |
Sri Lanka: Trends in carbon stock in living forest biomass 1990-2010
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(million metric tons) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| 90 | 74 | 66 | 61 |
CARBON STOCK IN LIVING FOREST BIOMASS
(per hectare in tons) |
| | | 2000 |
| | | 33 |
ANNUAL CHANGE
(1 000 t/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| -2 | -2 | -1 |
ANNUAL CHANGE PER HECTARE
(t/ha/yr) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 |
| n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
Sri Lanka: Area of forest affected by fire and other disturbances 2005
| FOREST FIRE |
| 1000 ha | % wild fire (not managed burn) |
| - | - |
| EXCLUDING FOREST FIRE |
| Insects | Diseases | Other biotic agents | Abiotic factors | Total (excluding fire) | % of 2005 forest area |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sri Lanka: Trends in removals of wood products 1990-2005
INDUSTRIAL ROUNDWOOD
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 772 | 766 | 763 | - |
WOODFUEL
Total volume (1 000 m3 over bark) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 | percent of which from forest 2005 |
| 8583 | 6780 | 6476 | - |
Sri Lanka: Value of wood and NWFP removals 2005
Value of removals
(million US$) | Value per ha forest
(US$) |
| Industrial roundwood | Woodfuel | NWFP | Total | |
| 46 | 39 | - | - | - |
Sri Lanka: Employment in forestry 1990-2005
TOTAL
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| 3 | 5 | 5 |
IN PRIMARY PRODUCTION OF GOODS-FORESTRY
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| 2 | 5 | 5 |
IN MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS-CONSERVATION
(1000 full-time employees) |
| 1990 | 2000 | 2005 |
| n.s. | 1 | 1 |
Sri Lanka: Forest policy and legal framework 2008
National forest policy (year): Yes (1995)
Sub-national forest policy: No
National forest program (year) - status: Yes (-) -
National forest law (year): Specific forest law (1907)
Sub-national forest law: No
Sri Lanka: Human resources within public forest institutions 2000-2008
| 2000 | 2005 | 2008 |
| # | % female | # | % female | # | % female |
| 2418 | 12 | 2319 | 10 | 2483 | 10 |
Sri Lanka: Forest revenue and public expenditure on forestry 2005
| Forest revenue | Public expenditure (1000 US$) |
| Domestic funding | External funding | Total |
| (1000 US$) | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments | Operational expenditure | Transfer payments |
| 3113 | 3605 | 0 | 3926 | 139 | 7670 | 139
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Sri Lanka: Status of ratification of international conventions and agreements as of 1 January 2010
CbD:
UNFCCC:
Kyoto Protocol:
UNCCD:
ITTA:
CITeS:
Ramsar:
World Heritage Convention:
NlbI:
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Sri Lanka: Environment
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation | | Natural hazards | occasional cyclones and tornadoes |
Sri Lanka: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 13.86%
permanent crops: 15.7%
other: 70.44% (2001) | | Natural resources | limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower |
Sri Lanka: Economy
| Economy - overview: | In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 5.5% in the 1990s, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history -1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 5% between 2002 and 2005. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. | | GDP - per capita | $4,300 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 4.7% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 17.7%, industry: 27.1%, services: 55.2% (2005 est.) | | Industries | rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, and banking; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco | | Economic aid - recipient | $577 million (1998) | | Debt - external | $11.59 billion (2005 est.) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 22% (1997 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 38%, industry 17%, services 45% (1998 est.) |
Sri Lanka: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 20,064,776 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 0.79% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 309.9 | | Percent rural (2003) | 79.0% | | Median age (years) | total: 29.44 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 1.85 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) |
Largest Cities in Sri Lanka
Cities and urban areas in Sri Lanka with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Colombo | Sri Lanka | 784900 | 2409000 |
| Jaffna | Sri Lanka | 162000 | 162000 |
| Kandy | Sri Lanka | 152200 | 152200 |
Sri Lanka: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 881,400 (2002) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 931,600 (2002) | | Roadways (km) | total: 11,650 km
paved: 11,068 km
unpaved: 582 km (2002) |
Sri Lanka: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 73.17 years
male: 70.6 years
female: 75.86 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
Sri Lanka
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005 & 2010) and the State of the World's Forests (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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