Sri lanka is a living laboratory of wildlife and flora/fauna. It is said that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism (Health Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type). Percentage wise the wildlife prevalent in Sri Lanka 16% of the fauna and 23% of flowering plants are endemic in the world.
Adding to this there are 3,210 flowering plants belonging to 1,052 genera. 916 species and 18 genera are endemic to the island. Additionally, all but one of the island’s more than 55 dipterocarps are confined to Sri Lanka. Although not lately assessed, Sri Lanka’s ferns are estimated at about 350 species. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Sri_Lanka)
The effect of deforestation, lack of clean water, drought and extreme weather, pollution and waste prolong the agony of wildlife welfare.
Marine Life
Being an island and blessed with thundering water falls and more than 100 rivers, the Aquatic Life in Sri Lanka is a real beholders pleasure. The amphibians and the reptiles account for the highest number of endemic species. Of the 107 species of fish found in the island, most have found a safe haven in the marshes and the rivers. With sea mining and coastal degradation with pollution threatens these volatile eco systems.
