Udawalawe
More actions
| Udawalawe | |
|---|---|
| Uda Walawe | |
| ActiveCannabis last recorded here in 2026 | |
| |
| Satellite view of Udawalawe, Sentinel-2 cloudless mosaic by EOX, 2016. | |
| Hierarchy | |
| Gene Pool | South Asian Gene Pool |
| Regional Complex | Sri Lanka |
| Growing Region | Southern Sri Lanka |
| Geography | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province/State | Uva Province |
| District | Monaragala District |
| Coordinates | 6.455, 80.982 |
| Landscape | |
| Elevation | 78 m |
| Terrain | Lowland east of the Udawalawe reservoir and national park, with forest reserves |
| Climate | |
| Climate Type | Tropical, between the dry and intermediate zones |
| Rainfall | 1,524 mm |
| Seasons | Short rains (Feb–Apr), main rains (late Aug–Dec) |
| Growing history | |
| Dated accessions | 2024–2026 |
| Dated news reports | 2019–2024 |
| Documentation | |
| Appellations | 1 |
| Accessions | 4 |
| Conservation | |
| Populations | 1 documented Field grade: 1 Data deficient 1 not yet assessed |
| Holdings | Holdings: 1 Urgent |
| In a population | 4 of 4 accessions |
| Seed lots | 4 (4 Urgent) |
| Priorities | Grow-out priorities |
Udawalawe is a landrace cannabis growing area in Monaragala District, Uva Province, Sri Lanka, in the Southern Sri Lanka growing region. It lies on the eastern side of Udawalawe National Park and takes in the forest belt around Hambegamuwa, where police, the Special Task Force and the army have destroyed plantations since 2019; one found inside the Hambegamuwa Forest Reserve by drone in June 2024 held 187,857 plants.[1] Its accessions come from Kalawelgala, at 78 m.
Geography
Climate
Mean annual rainfall in the national park is about 1,524 mm. Dry spells separate a short rainy period from February to April and a longer rainy season from the end of August to December.[2]: 23488 Across the island the south-west monsoon blows from May to September and the north-east monsoon from December to February.[4]: 17
Traditional cultivation
In July 2019 Hambegamuwa police raided a cultivation of about one acre that had been worked for some time, next to a nursery raising cannabis plants.[5] In April 2026 a plantation of about three acres inside the Udawalawe Reserve held some 155,000 plants about three feet tall.[3]
The collectors of the Udawalawe accessions reported that cultivation had been reduced by police pressure, by wild elephants that destroy the plants and by a local market flooded with ganja from India, sold under the name "Kerala Ganja".[6]
Appellations
| Appellation |
|---|
| Udawalawe (appellation) |
Accessions
| Accession ID | Name | Locality | Elevation | Collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZOM-SRI-UDA-0320260001 | Thanalmalwila 'Udawalawe' General Population 2026 | Kalawelgala | 78 m | |
| ZOM-SRI-UDA-1020240001A | Udawalawe General Population 2023 | Kalawelgala | 78 m | |
| ZOM-SRI-UDA-1020240001B | Udawalawe General Population 2023 | Kalawelgala | 78 m | |
| ZOM-SRI-UDA-1020240001C | Udawalawe General Population 2023 | Kalawelgala | 78 m |
The accessions were collected at Kalawelgala, at 78 m, on 15 October 2024 and 12 March 2026, and belong to the Udawalawe population.[6]
Enforcement
Monaragala District recorded 1,378 cannabis-related arrests in 2024.[7] In July 2019 Hambegamuwa police arrested the owner of the one-acre cultivation.[5] On 10 June 2024 the Special Task Force used drones to find two plantations inside the Hambegamuwa Forest Reserve, of 187,857 and 6,725 plants; it arrested one man, handed 20 plants to the Hambegamuwa police as samples and burnt the rest where they stood.[1] On 11 April 2026 the Military Intelligence Corps and the Hambegamuwa police seized the three-acre plantation in the reserve, which the army valued at nearly Rs 4.5 million.[3]
Recent news
| Article | Date | Category | Locality | Plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| News:2024-06-11/Eradication/stf-uses-drones-to-locate-ganja-plantations-inside-forest-reserve | Eradication | Hambegamuwa Forest Reserve | 194,582 | |
| News:2019-07-24/Eradication/police-raid-ganja-farm-that-spans-across-an-acre-of-land | Eradication | Hambegamuwa |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "STF uses drones to locate ganja plantations inside forest reserve". The Sunday Times. Colombo. 11 June 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hemachandra, I. V. Dinithi; Wijayarathna, C. Dilrukshi; Dayawansa, P. Nihal (26 July 2023). "Proximate nutrients of selected forage and the diet composition of adult elephants in Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka, a preliminary study". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 15 (7): 23487–23498. doi:10.11609/jott.8416.15.7.23487-23498.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sri Lanka Army (11 April 2026). "Based on Information Recived by Military Intelligence Corps Cannabis Cultivation Worth Rs. 4.5 Million Discovered". Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
- ↑ Ministry of Environment (Sri Lanka) (September 2020). National Drought Plan for Sri Lanka (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 17 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Police raid ganja farm that spans across an acre of land". News 1st. 24 July 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Udawalawe". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 17 October 2026.
- ↑ National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (2025). Handbook of Drug Abuse Information in Sri Lanka 2025 (PDF). Rajagiriya: Research Division, National Dangerous Drugs Control Board. map 3, p. 54. ISBN 978-624-6011-11-6.