Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts recognised for ecosystem and wildlife conservation efforts
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This project demonstrates the role of the private sector as a catalyst to form a multi-agency partnership to achieve a common conservation goal.
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts has been awarded with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award 2025 in the category of Best Ecosystem & Wildlife Conservation initiative for its Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project.
"This recognition from PATA affirms that true hospitality is inseparable from environmental responsibility," said Hishan Singhawansa, CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. "The Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project aligns with our broader ambition to sustain the environment we operate in, restoring ecosystems, empowering communities, and shaping a more conscious way of travel."
Initiated in 2022, the Cinnamon Rainforest Restoration Project represents a transformative approach to ecosystem rehabilitation. Spanning 59 acres in Suduwelipotha within Sri Lanka's biodiversity-rich wet zone, the project has evolved from degraded land into a thriving sanctuary for endemic and endangered species.
This project demonstrates the role of the private sector as a catalyst to form a multi-agency partnership to achieve a common conservation goal. Partners of the project include the Forest Department of Sri Lanka as a government agency that provided the state land for this project, while local NGO 'Ruk Rekaganno" (the Tree Society) is responsible for all the field implementations. Total project sponsorship has been provided by - Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in collaboration with John Keells Foundation. In addition to financial assistance, scientific assistance for the project is provided by the ecologists of Cinnamon Nature Trails.
The project now harbours 251 fauna species, including 54 endemic and 43 nationally threatened species. Since inception, 22,797 native trees have been planted with an 85-90% survival rate, while 36 new plant species have been recorded, including the reintroduction of Pini Beraliya (Doona ovalifolia), an endemic tree previously listed as extinct in the wild.
The project directly supports Cinnamon's 2030 sustainability goals, which include developing biodiversity conservation plans at every property where Red List species have been identified, increasing forest cover by 10,000 trees and achieving a 30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
