An Inland wetland of Man-made origin located in the Dry Zone of the Eastern province. This wetland is primarily a large water storage reservoir created in 1951 by damming the Gal Oya at Inginiyagala as part of the Gal Oya Development scheme to open up 162,000 ha of forest for agriculture and industriy. The reservoir and its surroundings were declared a Sanctuary, while the Sanctuary itself and the catchment of the wetland lie within the Gal Oya National Park. The area is rich in biodiversity, and is an important habitat for elephants and water birds. Birdlife International has identified this site as an IBA. The reservoir?s phytoplankton community is dominated by green algae (Mougeotea sp, Cosmarium singulum, C. renifomi, Staurastrum tetracerum and S. singulum). Fringing areas of the reservoir other than those situated close to the dam are covered with grass, shrubs and forests such as dry evergreen mixed forest and savannah type grassland dominated by Cymbopogon confertiflorus and Themeda spp. The reservoir has a rich diversity of freshwater fish, including native and exotic species. Amblypharygodon melettinus, Esomus thermoicos, Puntius singhala and Clarias brachysoma are common indigenous species. The reservoir also is an ideal habitat for water birds, including migratory waterfowl. Raptors such as Haliaeetus leucogaster and Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus are regularly seen. Aquatic reptiles include Crocodylus palustris, Melanochelys trijuga and Lissemys punctata. Large herbivores such as Cervus axis, Cervus unicolor and Elephas maximus can be seen in the grasslands fringing the reservoir. Dry mixed evergreen forests adjacent to the reservoirs consist of endemic species such as Diospyros attenuata, Dialium ovoideum, Munronia pumila and Syzygium cumini. Valuable medicinal plants such as Phyllanthus emblica, Terminalia belerica, T. chebula and Pterocarpus marsupium are found on the grasslands associated with the reservoir. Valuable timber species such as Diospyros ebenum, Manilkara hexandra and Chloroxylon swietenia are also found in the adjacent forest.

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