FLORISTIC RICHNESS AND RECREATION POTENTIAL OF POMPEKELLE FOREST RESERVE

Abstract

Pompekellc Forest Reserve is a small urban forest in the heart of Ratnapuratown ill the lowland,' ..of southwestern Sr! Lanka. In a phvtoecological survey,woodv plants ofmore than 5 em dbh were enumerated in samples ofthe hilltop.mid-slope and valley. Species richness, diversity, evenness, dominance andimportance-value indices were calculated A total or 116 species were found,belonging to 3H families. Species diversity and evenness were higher on thehilltop than in the valley. Species dominance was higher in the valley than onthe hilltop 0/1(1 mid-slope. Trees or the Apocynaceae, Celastraccac,Dilleniaceae, Leguminosae, and Moraceae were prominent throughout.,..e.•p.arate communities were identified for the hilltop, mid-slope and valley.Endemicity was higher (In the hilltop than on the mid-slope and in the valley.There was an abundance or regenerating canopy species, which indicates thatthe forest isfast recoveringfront past interference such as illicitfelling. A longtermrecreational development plan was prepared on the basis ol the floristicdata obtained in the present survey, a questionnaire survey with about 200respondents, and a resource survey that used aerial photographs and "oneinch"/1101'S. It was supplemented with a working plan that included detailed sitedrawings.