The lack of a uniform land use policy and the multiplicity of government and semi-governmental agencies involved in land-use planning in Sri Lanka have been major administrative setbacks to the protection of the Sinharaja. The forest is also spread out over two provinces, three districts and several minor administrative areas, and hence administrative decisions often become complex manoeuvres.

                         Among the agencies involved in the administration of the Sinharaja are the Land Reforms Commission, the Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation, the Janatha Estates Development Board and the Tea Small Holding Authority. The Government Agent, the chief administrative officer of a district, is responsible for the allocation of land on the periphery of the Reserve.

                         The staff, equipment and facilities now available for policing the Reserve are far from adequate. A Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Western Division based in Ratnapura (44 kilometers away), and the DFO of the Southern Division based in Gall (120 kilometers) are responsible for administering the Reserve. These DFO's have a total of 7 officers (3 Forest Rangers and 4 Beat Officers) under them to help to protect a Reserve of 8,800 hectares. Since 1988 the IUCN conservation programme has funded a resident Project Officer. The staff are stationed at the north-western end, at Kudawa, and have only one single four-wheel drive vehicle available to them. Patrolling of the boundaries is made more problematic because the only routes available for patrolling are mainly footpaths. Furthermore there is no illegal timber felling, Gangs engaged in illegal timber felling, gemming and rattan exploitation are often, gemming and well organized and armed. There is also the grave danger of fire hazards now that the peripheral areas are under Caribbean Pine, but the Kudawa Office does not contain adequate equipment or manpower to prevent such fires.