Exploration into Natural Intelligence of a rainforest

LAST week we featured in this page, an article on how Artificial Intelligence (Al) can be a boon to humankind in particular situations.

- BY SURYA VISHWA

The mystery that is Sinharaja rainforest

This week we turn in the opposite direction and immerse in the Natural Intelligence (NI) of nature. Of rainforests, to be precise. Rainforests are masses of earth left to its own devices, without the interference of man and nourished by earth's natural bounty, mainly the rain and the sun which results in the blossoming forth of life in all its mysterious forms. This we call biodiversity. Today we enter the precincts of Sinharaja - a World Heritage Site and the last visible tropical rainforest in Sri Lanka. The Sinharaja rainforest is a key local and foreign attraction in Sri Lanka drawing scores of visitors daily. It is a dense sanctuary that is home to endemic plant life including precious medicinal plants and fascinating creatures of the wild such as rare reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds which could be observed at close quarters as they go about their day in the comfort of their home.

Let us ponder for a while what a forest is and its significance to humans.