Page "Geography of Sri Lanka" Paragraph 19

Forests at one time covered nearly the entire island, but by the late 20th century lands classified as forests and forest reserves covered only one-fifth of the land.

The southwestern interior contains the only large remnants of the original forests of the wet zone.

The government has attempted to preserve sanctuaries for natural vegetation and animal life, however.

Ruhunu National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer, and peacocks, and Wilpattu National Park in the northwest preserves the habitats of many water birds, such as storks, pelicans, ibis, and spoonbills.

During the Mahaweli Ganga Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totalling 1, 900 km² as national parks.