In its history of more than 2,500 years, Sri Lanka has been colonised by three European nations from the 16th century onwards; the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. The British, who occupied the whole island in 1815, pioneered the introduction of commercial level plantations to the country. They identified Sri Lankan climatic and geographical conditions as being well-suited for tea plantation. However, the establishment of plantations in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka led to massive deforestation of the pristine mountain forests that had evolved over millions of years. In the early years of the tea industry, biodiversity management was predominantly planned according to estate managers’ personal views. Many estate managers tended to conserve flora, fauna, and species within their territories due to the cultural and religious traditions of the country that had influenced their behaviour. To some extent, there did exist certain regulations, but they were not scrupulously enforced or monitored. Therefore, until the 1990s, the preservation of biodiversity was not widespread among tea plantation companies…
