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A New Forest Vegetation Type in Sri Lanka: Dry Canal-Associated Evergreen Forest

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A New Forest Vegetation Type in Sri Lanka: Dry Canal-Associated Evergreen Forest Ceylon Journal of Science 48(4) 2019: 375-381 DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/cjs.v48i4.7679 SHORT COMMUNICATION A new forest vegetation type in Sri Lanka: Dry Canal-associated Evergreen Forest A.H. Magdon Jayasuriya* EML Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, 6/10, Rajamahavihara Road, Pitakotte, Sri Lanka. Received: 24/04/2019 ; Accepted: 15/10/2019 Abstract: During the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (11-14th Century Hydraulic civilization and anthropogenic impacts on AD), irrigation infrastructure and agricultural development in dry zone vegetation Sri Lanka were at their zenith. Irrigation system also consisted of canals conveying water from the Mahaweli River to distant Due to the hydraulic civilization (300 BC-1200 AD) during farmlands. One such irrigation canal, presently within the historical times, the natural landscapes of the dry zone Somawathiya National Park (SNP), supplied water from the were impacted in varying degrees in space and time. In river to a cascade of small tanks and farmlands as far as Kalu consequence, most of the present day dry lowland forests Ganga that divides Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee Districts on are of secondary in origin. However, due to the innate ability the Mahaweli Left Bank. The perennial presence of water during to recover, the dry zone forests have restored themselves use, and subsequent disuse of the canal for centuries, since the almost to the original stature in some instances (Jayasuriya fall of the Kingdom, evidently has caused edaphic, hydrological, et al., 2006). However, this has not been the rule in some microclimatic, biological and ecological changes that seem to highly modified landscapes as demonstrated in the present have transformed vegetation existed during pre-Polonnaruwa study. Retention of water in tanks and conveyance by and Polonnaruwa Periods in this part of the dry zone. Along the canals apparently have changed the hydrology, soil-water present day ruins of this ancient irrigation canal exists a unique relation and other microclimatic changes as manifested zone of forest vegetation which has not been hitherto identified by development of local vegetation/forest associations or or recorded. This special forest formation which is anthropogenic types. in origin is here described as a new forest vegetation type in Sri The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (11th-14th Century AD) Lanka and named Dry Canal-associated Evergreen Forest (DCEF) which closely resembles a river forest (Dry Riverine Evergreen Trade and agriculture flourished mainly under the reign Forest (DREF)), which in contrast is a natural vegetation of King Parakramabahu the Great (1153-1186) with formation. the development of a highly efficient irrigation system. Concurrently, the natural vegetation including forests Keywords: Dry zone, Irrigation canals, Polonnaruwa Period, underwent large scale clearing in favour of agriculture. Due Somawathiya National Park, Vegetation classification. to constant water circulation among dams, canals, tanks and farm lands and with absorption and transpiration of INTRODUCTION water, this region would have experienced moist and cool microclimatic conditions and further, the rise of water table Beside Sri Lanka being a relatively small continental and atmospheric humidity are presumed to have induced a island, it is endowed with remarkable diversity of forest favourable climate and environment for the people to live types, which are among the biologically richest forests in in this part of the dry zone in prosperity (Withanarachchi, South Asia (Jayasuriya et al., 2006).Various authors have 2015). attempted to classify country’s natural vegetation based on a variety of concepts such as climatic and geographical A part of this highly efficient irrigation system consisted zones, morphology, phenology and dominance of species of a canal (name unknown), deep within the SNP, that and their assemblages. A notable classification system was conveyed water from a upstream intake point on the Left proposed by Jayasuriya et al., (2006), supplemented by a Bank of the Mahaweli River almost to the Kalu Ganga that digital map for fourteen major terrestrial vegetation types borders the northern boundary of the Polonnaruwa District. in Sri Lanka. In this user-friendly classification, nine forest Estimated length of the canal is 13.6 km (Irrigation types, four grassland types and the sand dunes were named Department, 2018). and described. However, in a comprehensive vegetation The Proposed Mahaweli Left Bank Lower Basin classification system, in addition to major natural vegetation Development Project (Irrigation Department, 2018) types, minor types that are relatively local or less extensive, has also considered the possibility of diverting water whether they are natural or anthropogenic in origin, should from upstream Mahaweli River up to Janaranjana Wewa also be considered. Reservoir via this ancient canal that ran through the present *Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8278-3365 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 376 Ceylon Journal of Science 48(4) 2019:375-381 SNP by resurrecting it to function as a new feeder canal. that even prevails today in many parts of the dry zone An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the total and locally known as Ellangawa (Panabokke et al., 2002; project that includes the construction of a new reservoir MoA & FAO, 2017). Although presently obliterated due and development of a tank cascade system was conducted to about 700 years of disuse, this irrigation system is by EML Consultants Pvt Ltd and it was necessary to place presumed to have consisted of a hydrologically connected high importance to impending environmental impacts in system of canals and tanks supporting a relatively large these least known parts of the SNP (EML, 2019). This irrigated command area. The ruins of an ancient tank, now ancient canal was tracked by an arduous tractor journey sand-filled and shrunk to about one hectare and holding through Somawathiya hinterlands and the canal appeared permanent water to a depth of about half a metre, even in the to be a dug canal without stone reinforcements. Highly heights of the dry season, was observed (080 13’ 20.48”N, meandering status of the canal within the forest indicated 0810 10’ 17.64 E”) during this investigation (Figure 1). breaching, evidently from centuries ago. Presently, the canal This indicated the possibility of existence of other tanks is shallow with a depth up to 1 m, often less, sand-filled and canals connecting them. Archaeological evidence on and with some sporadic water pools along its meandering ancient irrigation and agricultural infrastructure including course through dense forest. The width of the canal varied implements and information on contemporary paddy between 5 to 15 m. Although this is the scenario in the dry varieties etc. are much in want. season, when the Mahaweli River is in spate and the area Human-influenced transformation of a dry forest into being in close proximity to the river (direct distance 500 – a wet forest 600 m) and the Flood Plains, the area evidently undergoes extensive flooding and hence become totally inaccessible. When the canal was actively used for irrigation, possibly METHODS AND MATERIALS about 700 - 1000 years ago, evidently most of its supply areas would have been cultivated except for tank micro- A study was conducted in this human-modified forest area catchments presently detectable by the presence of patches located in a remote and inaccessible part of the SNP. The of mature dry forests. Since the fall of the Polonnaruwa forest belt along the ruined canal was sampled by Gradsect Kingdom in about 14th Century, the intricate irrigation (gradient-directed transect) method that was successfully infrastructure evidently ceased to function. Due to the lack employed in the National Conservation Review (IUCN of use and maintenance, canal would have over-flown, & WCMC, 1997) for rapid biodiversity assessment. The breached and sand-filled thus resulting in the breakdown method essentially consisted of a series of 100 X 5m linear of the normal run; instead subject to meandering and plots laid along a transect running through a given site (and dispersion. The rise of the water-table and increased along an altitudinal gradient, if available). Three 100 X accumulation of alluvium evidently modified the original 5m plots were surveyed during the limited time of about dry forest ecosystem into a moist forest ecosystem 2.5 hours in this remote section of the SNP in which wild with characteristics of ‘riverine forest vegetation’. This elephants were in plenty. Site information such as GPS and succession of vegetation influenced by hydrological and vegetation characteristics, e.g. forest cover, canopy height, edaphic transformation, resulted in remarkable changes forest floor and water table were noted. All plant species in these human-modified vistas, not necessarily bringing (trees, shrubs and herbs) were provisionally identified back original vegetation patterns that existed during pre- and recorded in the field. Herbarium specimens of Polonnaruwa Period. species requiring further examination and other important A new forest type in Sri Lanka - Dry Canal-associated representative species were collected and preserved to Evergreen Forest (DCEF) be subsequently checked and deposited in the National Herbarium as vouchers of this study. In addition to The resultant canal-associated forest covered a linear zone compiling the species composition, rare species, endemic of 30–50 m wide, along the canal path, as observed in the species, threatened status (Red List status) and vernacular study area (Figure 2). The extant status of the new forest names were obtained. In order to determine species density, is apparently stable and in climax, developed during a all individual trees and shrubs measuring 10 cm or more period of about 700 years, and expected to be extremely DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) were recorded. The sensitive to any possible future environmental changes.
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