Introducing Yagirala
Conveniently located in Walallawita, Kalutara District, with just a couple of hours drive away from the capital city of Colombo, Yagirala Forest Reserve is an ideal place to experience the peace, quiet and diversity of life a Lowland Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest offers. The Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura has been managing a 100 acre block of the Yagirala Forest Reserve since 1984, predominantly for research and education purposes. A bungalow with standard facilities is also available to facilitate research, conservation, education and ecotourism activities based on Yagirala.
The forest area managed by the University consists of a variety of vegetation types including natural forests, a patch of Pinus plantation, and a small patch of Albizzia as well as diverse landscapes. Biodiversity studies conducted in Yagirala report 152 species of trees belonging to 120 genera and 62 families. The forest is also rich in faunal diversity with 36 species of mammals, 42 species of birds, 19 species of lizards, 10 species of amphibians, and 22 species of fresh-water fish being recorded from the area. These include numerous endemic species.