Protecting Ravana’s Secret- PLANT’s latest footprint expansion

In an exciting step, PLANT took on an engagement in the upper hills of Ravana. WNPS established PLANT to raise funds, to acquire and/or set aside privately owned lands, directly or through Partners, for the purpose of conservation and holding land in trust, on behalf of future generations. WNPS through PLANT hopes to contribute towards creating reasonably connected corridors of protected natural spaces and forest ecosystems. "Ravana's Secret" is hidden in over 100 acres of neglected hillside tea and forested land surrounding the Upper Ravana Falls a few miles above Ella. The owners have been purposely allowing some of the land to go "back to nature", like a private reserve encouraging local flora and fauna. RS is a haven for small numbers of nature loving tourists, accommodated in four eco-friendly buildings in different places, with limited organic cultivation mainly to feed themselves and guests. Having heard about the conservation work being done by PLANT, the owners reached out to WNPS to join hands and help them accelerate and better conserve the ecosystem which provides a critical watershed for the Ravana Falls and the related ecosystem. The team at PLANT signed an MOU recently and are hoping to study the ecosystem, do some enhancement steps for existing forested areas, and map a few steppingstone properties in the region, to increase securely protected land corridors in that area.

 "My husband John and I (both British) were lucky to discover this magical place when we retired to Sri Lanka 20 years ago. Although we own the land, we feel like caretakers and seeing the destruction of so much natural beauty in the name of "development", we are determined that this area on top of the famous Ravana Falls should be protected for the future of the environment long after we are dead! For that reason, we are delighted to join with WNPS/PLANT in an area of over 60 acres to conserve and improve the land’s biodiversity for the future." says Anne Boyce, when commenting on the partnership. The PLANT team is excited to add Ravana’s Secret, to the rapidly expanding PLANT network and WNPS is proud of the many threatened species who receive refuge within these properties. The WNPS team continue to seek likeminded partners who can set aside land, or resources, or donate land to WNPS, for the essential cause of conservation in Sri Lanka.