Rumassala Marine Sanctuary Rumassala Marine Sanctuary (Sinhala: රූමස්සල සමුද්ර අභයභූමිය) is one of the Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka . It lies in the southern end of Galle Bay, in the Galle District, of the Southern Province. History The area was declared a sanctuary in 2003 (Perera & de Vos, 2007). Physical features & climate The total area of the sanctuary is 1,707 ha (IUCN & CEA, 2006; Perera & de Vos, 2007). It encompasses a small near-shore coral reef growing on the hard substrate around the base of the Rumassala hill (Deepananda & Macusi, 2013; IUCN & CEA, 2006). The reef is part of a larger system of coral reefs around the Rumassala headland, which includes the Coral Reef at Unawatuna (IUCN & CEA, 2006). Although it is small in size, the reef is famous for its rich biodiversity and is considered an important habitat for marine species (IUCN & CEA, 2006). Over 500 species of reef and reef-associated fish have been recorded from the reef (IUCN & CEA, 2006). However, due to the us…
