Horton Plains National Park | Super Bio Diversity Hotspot

Horton Plains National Park | Super Bio Diversity Hotspot

Horton Plains National Park (Sinhala: හෝර්ටන් තැන්න ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය; Tamil: ஓட்டன் சமவெளி தேசிய வனம்) is a national park situated in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Location Situated in the south of the Nuwara Eliya District, it forms a plateau in the southeastern corner of the main ridge of Sri Lanka's central mountain massif (Rathnayake, 2015). It is the highest and largest plateau land located at an elevation ranging from 1,800 to 2,389 m above sea level, with a plateau starting from about 2,100 m above sea level (Chandrajith et al., 2009; Green, 1990). The Kirigalpotta (2,395 m) and Thotupola (2,357 m), the second and third highest mountain peaks in Sri Lanka are also located west and north of the Horton Plains respectively (Green, 1990; Premathilake, 2012). The area receives an annual rainfall ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 mm and has an average temperature that varies between 5-27°C (Chandrajith et al., 2009). Geology The bedrock of the Horton Plains was formed during the A…