Plants for Future
Plant a tree. Bind a slope. Restore an ecosystem. Protect a community.
Plants for Future
These trees, once grown, will help mitigate floods, restore soil health, and attract urban biodiversity — including birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates — that support the ecosystems and habitats, meanwhile providing many other benefits to the communities.
As a traveller visiting Sri Lanka, you have a unique opportunity to leave something behind that grows long after you're gone. Each tree planted is a direct investment in the island's future — for its people, its wildlife, and its landscape.
Why Travellers?
Tourism brings over 1 million visitors to Sri Lanka annually. If each visitor planted just one native tree, Sri Lanka could restore millions of hectares within a decade — transforming tourism from a consumer of nature into its greatest restorer.
The Crisis
Why Sri Lanka's
Slopes Are Failing
Sri Lanka experiences among the highest landslide frequencies in Asia. The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has identified over 47 high-risk landslide zones across the country — predominantly in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces.
A key — and often overlooked — driver of this crisis is the widespread replacement of deep-rooted endemic trees like Kubuk, Mee, Hora, and Na with shallow-rooted monocultures (tea, eucalyptus, pine). These exotic species cannot bind slopes the way native trees can, creating unstable conditions that collapse under monsoon rain.
Native vs Exotic Root Depth
Endemic trees like Kubuk develop tap roots reaching 8–12 meters deep, physically anchoring bedrock. Exotic monocultures rarely exceed 2–3 meters — insufficient to hold slopes under heavy rainfall.
Soil Water Absorption
Diverse native forest floors absorb up to 80% of rainfall through leaf litter, root channels, and mycorrhizal networks. Cleared slopes or monocultures absorb as little as 20% — the rest becomes destructive runoff.
The Kubuk & Mee Advantage
Studies in Sri Lanka's vulnerable zones show that slopes with intact Kubuk and Mee populations experience 60–70% fewer shallow landslides compared to adjacent cleared slopes — even during extreme rainfall events.
Native Species
Trees Worth Planting
Click each tree to learn its story, its root system, and exactly why it matters for Sri Lanka's future.
Kubuk
කුබුක්Endemic · EndangeredOne of Sri Lanka's most threatened endemic trees, the Kubuk is a wild relative of the mango. Once widespread in lowland rainforests, it now faces extinction due to habitat loss. Its deep root system is exceptional at binding slopes and preventing soil erosion — making it a frontline tree against landslides.
Key Benefits
Mee
මීNative · MultipurposeThe Mee tree (Illipe) is a sacred and highly valued native species deeply woven into Sri Lankan rural life. Its flowers are used in traditional oil production, its dense canopy provides vital shade, and its extensive lateral root system dramatically reduces surface runoff — a key factor in flood and landslide mitigation.
Key Benefits
Hora
හොරEndemic · RainforestThe Hora is a towering rainforest giant and a keystone species of Sri Lanka's UNESCO-listed Sinharaja Forest. It plays a critical role in maintaining the structural integrity of slopes through its massive buttress roots. The species is flagship for Sri Lanka's wet zone biodiversity restoration.
Key Benefits
Kohomba
කොහොඹNative · MedicinalKnown as the 'village pharmacy', the Kohomba (Neem) has been used for over 4,000 years in Ayurvedic medicine. It thrives in the dry zone, dramatically improves degraded soil health through nitrogen fixation, and its dense shade canopy transforms barren land into productive, biodiverse microhabitats.
Key Benefits
Na
නාEndemic · SacredThe Na tree (Ironwood) is Sri Lanka's national tree — a slow-growing but extraordinarily long-lived species found in the Jathika Namal Uyana, the largest Na forest in Asia. Its dense, heavy wood and deep root system make it one of the most effective trees for long-term slope stabilization and carbon sequestration.
Key Benefits
Why It Works
What These Trees Do
Landslide Mitigation
Deep-rooted endemic trees physically bind unstable slopes. Sri Lanka loses dozens of lives annually to landslides — many triggered by the removal of native vegetation and replacement with shallow-rooted monocultures.
Flood & Erosion Control
Native trees dramatically slow surface runoff, improve soil absorption capacity, and stabilize riverbanks. Riparian species like Kumbuk have been proven to reduce flash flood damage by up to 60% in restored zones.
Soil Health Restoration
Endemic trees improve soil structure through deep root channels, increase organic matter, and enable mycorrhizal networks. Degraded land planted with native species shows measurable recovery within 3–5 years.
Urban Biodiversity
Once grown, these trees attract birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates — rebuilding the ecosystems and food webs that support entire habitats. Sri Lanka has 34 endemic bird species, many dependent on native tree canopy.
Climate Resilience
Long-lived endemic trees are among the most effective carbon sinks available. A single mature Hora or Na tree can sequester tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime, directly contributing to Sri Lanka's climate commitments.
Community Livelihood
Many native trees provide food, medicine, timber, and cultural value to local communities — creating sustainable livelihoods that align conservation with community wellbeing, not against it.
"These trees once grown will help mitigate floods, restore soil health, attract urban biodiversity."
Plants for Future InitiativeJoin the Movement
How You Can Help
01Visit & Plant
Join a guided planting day during your Sri Lanka tour. Our guides will take you to restoration sites where you'll plant a native tree with your own hands.
02Sponsor a Tree
Can't make it in person? Sponsor the planting of a native tree in your name. You'll receive a GPS coordinate and photo of your tree, updated annually.
03Spread the Word
Share your planting experience with your network. Every traveller who plants or sponsors a tree multiplies the impact exponentially.
Plant Your
Legacy
One tree. One slope stabilised. One habitat restored. One future protected. Your visit to Sri Lanka can mean far more than memories.