During my October break, I went to The World’s End in the Nuwara Eliya District on Sunday the 9th. I personally loved this experience, because I saw totally new biodiversity than in any other area I have visited in Sri Lanka. It really made me realize how diverse Sri Lanka’s nature is. Me and my family were accompanied by a naturalist called Dinesh from the Jetwing hotels. He was extremely passionate and well versed. He explained and identified all the endemic species and history of the area while on the walk. As we reached the mini World’s End, I noticed a couple of dead trees among the green forest. Dinesh then mentioned how they had died because of ‘forest dieback’. Which is when acid rain kills all woody plants and trees in an environment. This happened because of the chemicals used in fertilisers for farming in the Nuwara Eliya district. He explained how the chemicals are absorbed by the fog and mist, which then travels to the clouds, and goes through the water cycle resulting in acid rain. He went on talking about how this is a real threat to all species and plants in the district. Whilst walking back I looked around me and really took in my surroundings, observing all the complexity and detail, beautifully crafted by nature. I thought to myself, just how much we take nature for granted, how humans can damage such a pure environment even without touching it. The entire walk made me so much more appreciative and intrigued by the nature around me.
