Uva Wellassa University has entered into a five-year research agreement with the Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH – UFZ, Germany, to investigate how hyper-diverse tropical rainforests maintain their exceptional species richness. The project has secured Euro 50,000 in funding and was approved by the Sri Lankan Cabinet at its meeting on 7 September 2026.

The project, SpatioCoexistence, aims to develop a spatially-explicit coexistence framework using Sri Lanka’s lowland rainforests as a model system. Researchers will monitor the 25-hectare Sinharaja Forest Dynamics Plot, integrate spatial data with mechanistic models, and examine how dispersal limitation, microhabitat heterogeneity, and competition interact to sustain diversity.

This project will not only advance fundamental ecological theory but also provide a predictive tool for conservation by identifying the spatial thresholds and landscape configurations needed to sustain biodiversity in one of the world’s most threatened forest types.

The project is led by Principal Investigator Senior Professor Sisira Ediriweera (Faculty of Applied Sciences, Uva Wellassa University) and Dr. habil. Thorsten Wiegand (Department of Ecological Modelling, UFZ, Germany). Mr Janith Piumal serves as a Research Assistant.