Sunday Times 2
National Trust lecture on Sri Lanka’s biodiversity heritage
View(s):Serendipity: The Discovery of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Heritage by Dr Rohan Pethiyagoda
Thursday, January 26 at 6 pm
Link to join lecture: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81249396683
Sri Lanka’s natural wealth – its species and ecosystems – are celebrated in it being recognised as part of a global biodiversity hotspot. Yet, we rarely stop to wonder how this incredible heritage came to be discovered. This lecture tells the tale of this voyage of discovery: The doctors and housewives who became botanical explorers; A village lad who rose to number among Asia’s famous illustrators; A planter who went on to become president of the Royal Entomological Society…
In the course of his career, the speaker has delved into archives in both Sri Lanka and Europe to piece together the life stories of these remarkable people. In this lecture he celebrates their achievements and their all too human foibles; their rivalries, jealousies, eccentricities and their genius. Illustrated with portraits, works of art and anecdotes, the lecture will relate the story of the explorations that led to the discoveries.
Rohan Pethiyagoda was educated at St Thomas’s Prep School, St Thomas’s College, Kings’ College, London, and the University of Sussex. In 1987, he resigned as Director of Biomedical Engineering Services in the Health Ministry, and Chairman of the Water Resources Board to explore Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. He used the proceeds of his book, The freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka (1991) to endow the Wildlife Heritage Trust, a foundation dedicated to biodiversity exploration. This work, by Pethiyagoda and his colleagues, led to the discovery of more than 100 species. He is the author of some 60 scientific papers and several books, and his achievement has been recognised by awards, as well as by appointment as Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
The National Trust – Sri Lanka conducts monthly lectures. The HNB Sustainability Foundation is the principal sponsor of the events of the National Trust – Sri Lanka.
Further information can be obtained from Tel 0112682730/ 0719566929.