UN adds Lankan sites

31 July 2010 05:16 pm

UNESCO has added Sri Lanka's Central Highlands comprising the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest to the World Heritage List.

UNESCO says the region is considered a super biodiversity hot spot noted for its range of flora and fauna, including several endangered species, including the western purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris and the Sri Lankan leopard.

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has been meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, this week to review candidates for inclusion on its heritage list and assess its List of World Heritage in Danger. (Daily Mirror online)