The Government has allocated a total of Rs. 517 million to develop five botanical gardens in the country within next year.
The five botanical gardens that will be developed next year include Peradeniya, Gampaha, Hukgala, Seethawaka and Mirijjawila. The Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya (1821), Hakgala Botanic Gardens (1861) and Henarathgoda Botanic Gardens, Gampaha (1876) were established by the British while Mirijjawila Dry Zone Botanic Gardens, Hambantota and Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens, Avissawella were opened to the public in 2013 and 2015 respectively as new botanic gardens designed by local experts.
Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said the Government has recognised the importance of developing these botanical gardens to attract tourists to showcase the vast biodiversity and floriculture Sri Lanka has and to make these places popular in their travel itineraries in future.