In a non-industrialised country like Sri Lanka, wilderness areas have long been subject to the activities of man, and Sinharaja is no exception. The long history of human habitation in and around today's MAB Reserve in fact compounds the problems of managing and conserving the forest. Scattered about the borders of the reserve are some 39 or so villages. Most of the ancient hamlets are to be found along the southern boundary of the Reserve, on the banks of the Gin Ganga with a few located on the north-western side. Only two, viz.

 

A village scene in Sinharaja

 Kolonthotuwa and Warukadeniya are lovated within the Reserve itself. The topography of the region seems to have influenced the pattern of human settlement, and those around the Reserve are mainly along the valleys and river basins. Numerous ancient footpaths exist on the periphery of the Reserve while there are three which cut across the interior of the forest, one along the western boundary (Neluwa - Pitakele - Kudawa - Weddagala) a second along the eastern boundary past Beverley Estate and Denuwakanda and the third traverses the centre of the forest (Watugala - Kumburugoda - Panapola) (Figure 12).     

Figure 12. Village settlements of the Sinharaja