Landmark Publications to inspire change

Educating and encouraging the public to conserve nature and empower minority communities through the publication of numerous volumes on Sri Lanka’s biodiversity and cultural heritage.

In line with its commitment to promoting accessible environmental education, Dilmah Conservation has launched a series of publications on Sri Lanka’s natural and cultural heritage. This non-profit initiative seeks to offer current and comprehensive research in the form of readily accessible visual guides with the aim of creating awareness, sharing knowledge and making available information on our country’s flora, fauna and the indigenous and nomad communities to the general public.

Jaiva Vividhathwaye Sri Lankeeya Urumaya (Our Biological Heritage), a collaboration with the Young Biologists Association, brings to life diverse biological landscapes of Sri Lanka and its abundant beauty and uniqueness.

Dilmah Conservation sponsored the publication of Sri Lanka’s Forests: Nature at Your Service by the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) due to its significant contribution to identifying, raising awareness and understanding the value of Sri Lanka’s diverse forests.

As the title suggests, A Pictorial Guide to Udawalawe National Park, depicts this vast elephant sanctuary through vivid imagery, informative illustrations and colourful representations of its flora and fauna. The completion of this book would have been impossible without the indispensable efforts of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka.

The publication, Indigenous Communities in Sri Lanka: The Veddahs, chronicles in detail the lives of the coastal Veddahs of the country. For years given very little recognition, the coastal Veddahs had integrated over time with the mainstream communities in the East and were leading obscure lives with little recognition of their true identities. Therefore the publication and the studies have been presented at a crucial and decisive time for the community.

Traditional Communities in Sri Lanka: The Ahikuntaka documents the lives and livelihood methods of the Ahikuntaka, their caste system, religious beliefs, court system and traditional medication methods. The publication is based on the scientific studies of Professor Ranjith Bandara of the Colombo University and includes several case studies following the community’s way of life.

An introduction to Common Spiders of Sri Lanka could be identified as the first general guide to the spiders of Sri Lanka and offers scientific and factual information in a simple and easy-to-read manner in order to help readers overcome the general fear and animosity towards these gentle creatures whose existence is of vital value to humans.

Another attempt at battling a local animal phobia, Recognising Deadly Venomous Snakes from Harmless Snakes of Sri Lanka attempts to portray snakes in their role as a vital part of our ecosystem while trying to dismiss the misconceptions of these creatures as being deadly and dangerous. Due to our widespread fear and loathing, many harmless snake species are inadvertently killed by humans. This publication strives to change this attitude in its readership.

A unique addition to this collection of volumes is the Field Guide on Pest Management Strategies as Alternatives to Methyl Bromide in Sri Lanka. The book highlights the perilous consequences of utilising Methyl Bromide as a pesticide and discusses environmentally safe alternatives in pest management in Sri Lanka.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.

- C.S. Lewis