Sarath Kotagama

Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama (Sinhalese: සරත් විමලබන්ඩාර කොටගම or Sarath Kotagama) is head of the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo and has done extraordinary service to Sri Lanka as an ornithologist and Environmentalist. He was awarded the "2003 Distinguished Service Award for Environment Education and Journalism" by the International Society for conservation biology. He is the leading ornithologist in Sri Lanka.

Kotagama has conducted several Scientific studies and rendered his services to several government and non governmental institutions as a zoologist, biologist, environmental scientist, and conservationist. The endemic toad Bufo kotagamai is named after Kotagama for the honour.

Early life

Sarath Kotagama obtained his BSc. at the University of Colombo, and wrote his PhD on the feeding and behavioral ecology of Rose-ringed Parakeet at the University of Aberdeen. Prof. Kotagama has been a lecturer in Zoology both at University of Colombo and The Open University of Sri Lanka since 1974. He is a former Director, Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka. Currently he is a Scientific adviser to the Ministry of Wildlife Resources Conservation. He is the only ornithologist that study about House Crow in Sri Lanka.

Positions

Professor Kotagama was the past president of Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka.[1] Senior Ornithologist, Professor of Environment Science, Head of the Environmental Science Department: University of Colombo, Vice President of Ecotourism Society of Sri Lanka, Ornithologist and Environmentalist in the Society for Conservation Biology.

Writings

Prof. Kotagama published E-book on birds titled as "An Illustrated guide to Birds of Sri Lanka".

Guides

References

  1. ↑ Dole, Nilma (15 March 2009). "Not a ‘bird-brained’ plan!". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 2009-10-21.