Underwater Life

Kalpitiya Underwater Life

The Bar Reef, off the western coast of the Putlam district, is the largest and most bio-diverse coral formation in Sri Lanka, being home to 156 species of coral and 283 of fish. It is also one of the few remaining in a pristine condition. It is made up of a complex of reefs which stretch parallel to the coast of the northern end of the Kalpitiya peninsular and to the islands in Portugal Bay.

Although it was declared a marine sanctuary in 1992, there has been virtually no management and it is under threat both from natural enemies (crown-of-thorns starfish and coastal erosion and sedimentation) and from human activity. Now it is at the center of an effort at conservation through sustainable development with popular participation. The Bar Reef is a system of coral reefs just offshore from Sri Lanka's Kalpitiya peninsula. It has the greatest biodiversity of any coral reef in the waters around India and is one of the few pristine coral reef systems in Sri Lanka.

It is a complex of reefs which stretch parallel to the coast from the northern end of the Kalpitiya peninsula to the islands which separate Portugal Bay from the Gulf of Mannar. It has high ecological, biological and aesthetic significance, being home to 156 species of coral and 283 species of fish.

The Bar Reef was declared a marine sanctuary in 1992, the area of the reserve being 306.7 square km.