Regeneration potential of different land-use types in Upper Hantana

Hantana range is an ecologically important area in the wet zone of the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. During the colonial era, the natural forest cover has been replaced by plantation crops including coffee, rubber and tea. At present, there are few remnants of natural forest patches and several semi-natural and man-made landuse types including grasslands, pine stands, mixed woodlands and remnants of tea and rubber cultivations. Later, restoration trials were conducted in grasslands and Pinus plantations to reinstate some form of forest cover using native tree species. The natural regeneration of different landuse types largely depends on the reservoir of seeds in the soil. It is also known that the regeneration potential can vary among different landuse types and their landscape histories. Therefore, a study was carried out to assess the regeneration potentials of some land-use types in the Upper Hantana area viz., restored and un-restored grasslands and pine stands (RG, UG, RP and UP respectively) . Seasonal variations of the soil seed bank were also investigated.