Kalawana bus stop serves as info centre for Sinharaja Reserve

By Sajeewa Chamikara

The Kalawana Main Bus Stop was officially opened to the public as an information centre on the Sinharaja Forest Reserve on May 24, 2026. Kalawana is the principal town among the towns surrounding Sinharaja, and a large number of local and foreign tourists pass through it when visiting the Sinharaja World Heritage Rainforest. In addition, Kalawana serves as the main town used by a majority of the people living in the villages around Sinharaja. Therefore, the objective of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform was to transform the Kalawana Bus Stand into a location where the public could gain awareness of the biodiversity, ecological significance, and conservation needs of the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. 

The initial proposal for this initiative was presented by Aravinda Lakmal, Terminal Manager of the Kalawana Depot of the Sabaragamuwa Road Passenger Transport Authority; Rajitha Chathuranga Pitigala, Chairman of the Kalawana Urban Development Foundation; and Upali Jayawardena, a resident of the Pitigalakanda and Mannawatta area who possesses a deep understanding of the importance of protecting the Sinharaja ecosystem. The implementation of this programme was based on their vision and our shared concept.

This initiative was carried out under the project to transform tea plantations into diversified multi-crop cultivation systems by applying the concepts of ecological farming and agroforestry for the conservation of tropical rainforests, implemented by the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform.

The beautification of the Kalawana Main Bus Stand with display panels was undertaken with the aim of enhancing public awareness, both among the local communities surrounding Sinharaja and visitors to the forest, regarding the value of Sinharaja and the principles of ecological farming that contribute to its protection. 

The programme was implemented with the support of the Chairman of the Kalawana Pradeshiya Sabha, Sumith Priyantha Somadasa, its staff members, the Sabaragamuwa Road Passenger Transport Authority, the Kalawana Urban Development Foundation, and the Kalawana Bus Friends Association.

In preparing the display panels, photographs owned by the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform, together with photographs provided by reptile and amphibian researcher Udaya Chanaka and by Shalith Karunaratne, a Geography teacher at Pothupitiya Maha Vidyalaya and a researcher affiliated with the Ambagahakanda Sinharaja Friends Organization, were used. The panels also incorporated illustrations created by Inoka Dilrukshi D. Herath, an art teacher at Sujatha Vidyalaya, Rambukkana. The Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform provided the financial support required for the preparation of the content, design, printing, and production of the display panels. 

Significant support for the successful implementation of this programme was provided by M. Navarathna, Sabaragamuwa Provincial Facilitator of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform, Suranga Buddhika, Chairman of the National Environmental Foundation, and Sanath Wasantha, Chairman of the Ambagahakanda Sinharaja Friends Organization, together with the team members.

The Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform invites everyone, including schoolchildren visiting Sinharaja, to visit the Kalawana Bus Stand and view these display panels, deepen your understanding of the importance of protecting Sinharaja and other rainforest ecosystems, and actively contribute to their conservation.

(The writer represents the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform)