Wildlife and Nature Protection Society lecture today to discuss conservation of reptiles

Monday, 23 September 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The subject of my longest-time study - Australian freshwater croc

The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) will hold an additional monthly lecture today at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo 7 at 6.00 p.m today to discuss the conservation of reptiles in Sri Lanka.

The lecture entitled ‘From Giant Crocs to Sea Serpents: Understanding Ecology for Better Conservation of Reptiles’ will be delivered by Dr. Ruchira Somaweera.

For many people, reptiles are nothing but slimy and scaly creatures evoking fear and fascination. However, reptiles play crucial but often a ‘silent’ ecological role in ecosystems throughout the world. Despite this, one-fifth of the world's estimated 10,500 species of reptiles are threatened with extinction, while another one-fifth is not yet adequately researched. These knowledge gaps are most prominent in the tropics, such as islands like Sri Lanka, hindering effective conservation and management action. To better understand and conserve the fascinating reptiles of Sri Lanka, a global journey must be taken to learn from scientific ecological research in other parts of the world.

Dr. Ruchira Somaweera is an evolutionary biologist with a broad research interest in how reptiles adapt to a changing world. Having completed his PhD at the University of Sydney, Dr. Somaweera is currently a research fellow at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia and the University of Western Australia. His current research subjects range from sea snakes in the Indian Ocean to crocodiles in the remote Kimberley outback of Australia, the reptiles of Komodo National Park in Indonesia and the lizards in ‘novel ecosystems’ of Sri Lanka. Somaweera’s work has led to many research publications and four books on herpetology, including comprehensive field guides to snakes and lizards of Sri Lanka. He is a member of several IUCN reptile specialists’ and red-listing committees. As a National Geographic explorer and scientist of the STEM Professionals in School program of the Australian Government, he is actively involved in inspiring the general public and the next generation of biologists in wildlife and environmental conservation.