LIFE ensures 20-year preservation of the restored land

Biodiversity Sri Lanka and the Forest Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which affirms the Forest Department’s complete commitment to the facilitation of the LIFE project. It also guarantees that the project site will not be used for any post-restoration purposes for at least 20 years.

Annex 1 – Progress of restoration (March 2022)

A significant portion of the project site is undergoing intensive ecological restoration, with structural changes occurring in vegetation types and new floral and faunal species surfacing.

Twenty-six butterfly species were recently observed in the restoration site, and 14 frugivorous bird species had been recorded by the end of the project's fourth year. Three new reptile species, which included two arboreal snake species, the Green Vine Snake and the Boulenger's bronze back, and a ground-dwelling species of skink, the Sri Lanka Golden Skink, were observed. In sum, at least 90 new faunal species have appeared in restored and natural forests. These included four land snail species, nine dragonfly species, 14 butterfly species, six amphibian species, 12 reptile species, 35 avian species, and ten mammal species.

Intensive restoration area, as of July 2021

LIFE – Phase II

As of 2023, Biodiversity Sri Lanka has officially launched Phase II of the restoration project. Virtusa will continue its partnership with BSL to support Phase II, especially since the projects aligns with the historic agreement set at the UN Biodiversity COP 15 in December 2022 to restore and preserve 30% of the Earth’s land, coastal areas, and in-land waters by 2030.

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