Owing to their rich biodiversity, this region is considered to be a super-hotspot within endemic hotspots of global importance.

Twisted, stunted trees are a common sight in these forests, together with many varieties of orchids, mosses and ferns.

[5] Invertebrates Flora Botanical gardens Civil societies Sri Lanka's montane forests are located above 1,220 m.[4] The montane rain forests cover 3,099.5 ha in total, or 0.05 percent of Sri Lanka's total area.

These forests are found in the mountain tops, such as Pidurutalagala, Kikilimana, Meepilimana, Agrabopaththalawa, Adam's Peak and Hakgala.

Sri Lanka detached from the Deccan peninsula during the end of the Miocene epoch, but its origin lies within Gondwanaland.

All of the island's major rivers arise in the central highlands, and montane rain forests act as the main catchment area.

[2] Knuckles Range's vegetation differ from the rest of the central highlands because of the geographical detachment, is having a Myristica-Cullenia-Aglaia-Litsea community.

The isolated Knuckles range harbours several relict, endemic flora and fauna that are distinct from central massif.

[2] Small mammals in Sri Lanka shows a great degree of diversity, such as rodents, shrews and bats.

[2] The 15 years from 1990 to 2005 Sri Lanka showed one of the highest deforestation rates of primary forests in the world.

[7][8] During that period almost 18 percent of Sri Lanka's forest cover was lost, while the deforestation rate also accelerated.

[10] Invasive exotic plant species such as Mist Flower (Ageratina riparia), Purple Plague (Miconia calvescens), Blue Star (Aristea ecklonii) and Coster's Curse (Clidemia hirta) that increasingly spread into otherwise well protected mountain forest areas and crowd away the native Sri Lankan flora are a major threat, if not the largest one, to Sri Lankan montane rain forest flora and fauna.