When JAYANTHA JAYEWARDENE presented me with a copy of his ‘The Diversity of Sri Lankan Wildlife, I was immediately struck by the absence of ‘single volume’ books which addressed the many facets of the country’s bio-diversity.

In his book, Jayewardene has done an admirable job in adapting his articles and filling in gaps to present a well rounded introduction to Sri Lankan wildlife

Jayewardene’s book had evolved out of a series of articles he had been asked to write for the Daily News newspaper on different aspects of Sri Lanka’s wildlife. In a sense, his writing and research had run in parallel and his task was pleasanter as he did not have a publisher’s deadline for a single large manuscript. He has done an admirable job in adapting his articles and filling in gaps to present a well rounded introduction to Sri Lankan wildlife. Because he has consulted many experts to make the book as up to date and as scientifically accurate as possible, it is a useful summary as of now, of our rapidly changing knowledge of Sri Lankan wildlife.

First impressions of the book are very favourable, a nice size (8 inches wide x 10 inches tall), hard cover with a very artistic dust jacket designed by the author’s daughter Amali Senanayake, good quality paper and binding. The text is interspersed with many delightful line drawings which lend the whole book a strong design aesthetic.

The book is structured into 38 chapters and runs into a total of 229 pages in black and white which includes an index, a page each of references, acknowledgements and an epilogue. 16 Chapters cover mammals, 7 chapters are on birds and 5 chapters are on reptiles. There are chapters on biodiversity, national parks and reserves, Sinharaja, eco systems, coral reefs, freshwater fishes, butterflies, invasive species and nocturnal animals. A series of photographic colour plates are interspersed and depict some of the species covered in the book.

Chelonia Mydas

The reader must bear in mind that this book was not meant to be an even handed all round view of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. When you consider where the public interest lies and the availability of information on certain groups, this is still a good introduction to Sri Lankan biodiversity. Having been through the mill of going through the current outpouring of research papers I can vouch that the chapters have had extensive background research done on them. In fact, as 2009 dawns, wildlife enthusiasts find themselves with an abundance of riches in terms of books having become available. Although this book deliberately aims to be spartan in its visual offerings, I would confidently state that this book is likely to be one of the better investments for a student of natural history.

Chameleon

Jayawardene has brought in a behavioural ecology approach into the chapters when discussing species. This, coupled with the background research makes this a very useful and innovative book to equip the Sri Lankan wildlife enthusiast with the current intellectual tools. The book has been written with a layperson in mind and therefore all this intellectual rigour is presented in a palatable form.

Just as the crop of coffee table books in the last few years have been a visual treat for the senses, this book is a treat for those with an intellectual curiosity. I strongly believe that this is one of the most useful books on Sri Lankan natural history to have been published in the last decade, especially as it is pitched at the public. However, the book is not without flaws. The coverage is un-even and it could have benefited from tighter copy editing.

The line drawing has not been individually identified with the artists in the same manner as the photographers.

Varanus Salvator

But these flaws should not detract from acknowledging a well researched effort to take knowledge to the public at the level of species, eco-systems and conservation issues. This, combined with its easy to read style, replete with anecdotes, references to conversations with scientists and conservationists and the writings of the 19th and 20th century natural history and big game hunting writers, makes for an informative and entertaining book. If the recession has begun to bite and you are cutting back, leave aside some money for this book.

Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne (gehan@jetwing.lk, www. jetingeco.com) is a corporate personality who is also a writer and photographer on a mission to create a million wildlife enthusiasts. This review is courtesy "Montage Magazine".