Sriyanie Miththapala

• Doctor of Philosophy
• International Union for Conservation of Nature

Blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass beds, are vital for mitigating climate change owing to their high capacity for carbon capture and storage. Sea-level rise (SLR), as a result of climate change, poses a severe threat to these ecosystems due to the proximity of these ecosystems to coastal margins and, thus, modellin...

The National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP) 2022-2030 is the 4th NEAP in the series starting from the plan initiated in 1990s for Sri Lanka. This NEAP fills the national environmental planning gap since the National Action Plan for Haritha Lanka Programme 2009-2016 ended its intended implementation period in 2016. The NEAP 2022-2030 is vital as i...

We used citizen science and inexpensive methodology to assess the distribution of the jungle cat Felis chaus , a relatively common species in Sri Lanka but the least studied of the four wild cat species occurring in the country. We obtained three types of records of the jungle cat: geo-referenced photographs of the species from the public; sighting...

Reliable population estimates are crucial for the conservation and management of faunal species. Population data of meso-mammal carnivores in Sri Lanka, as well as elsewhere in the world, is scarce. We estimated population densities of meso-mammal carnivores in Maduru Oya National Park (MONP) using Random Encounter Model (REM) and Camera Trap Dista...

After the 30-year long civil war was over, the Government of Sri Lanka commenced an accelerated programme to develop the Northern Province. If not carefully planned, such a programme will result in the loss of biodiversity and the consequent loss of services that ecosystems provide humans. Therefore, documenting the biodiversity found within coasta...

After the three decade-long civil war was over, the Government of Sri Lanka commenced an accelerated programme to develop the Northern Province. If not properly planned, these developmental projects will result in the loss of biological diversity and, in particular, the consequent loss of services that ecosystems provide humans. One of the importan...

This book introduces children to the mammals of Sri Lanka. It initially describes what a mammal is, and then discusses how they feed, where they live and where they are found in Sri Lanka. Selected mammals are described in detail and a list is provided of the mammals endemic to Sri Lanka. The book also discusses various threats to mammals in Sri La...

This is Part II of an overview of the wild cats of Sri Lanka which discusses the ecology of the four species of wild cats in Sri Lanka; followed by the existing threats to these species. Finally, this paper examine future directions for wild cat research in Sri Lanka.

In part 1, published in Vol 28. Issue 1 & 2, December 2017, the wild cats of Sri Lanka — including those now extinct and the four extant wild cat species — were introduced. The phylogeny of the extant wild cats was then discussed. The history of research into each species of extant cat was reviewed; and their global and local geographical distribut...

In part 1, the wild cats of Sri Lanka — including those now extinct and the four extant wild cat species — are introduced. The phylogeny of the extant wild cats is then discussed. The history of research into each species of extant cat was reviewed; and their global and local geographical distributions presented.

This overview builds on Miththapala (2006) and presents an updated overview on the four wild cats extant in Sri Lanka. Describing, briefly 1) The wild cats of Sri Lanka, including a brief introduction of the cats of the past; 2) The phylogeny of the extant cats; 3) The history of wild cat research in Sri Lanka; 4) The distribution of the wild cats...

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of ecosystem-based approaches for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, implementation remains mostly underdeveloped worldwide. Lack of knowledge on the implementation process present an important barrier. This publication presents details on Ecosystems Protecting Infrastructure and...

SUMMARY The yield gap has arisen again as a focus for agricultural research to ensure food security and economic growth for farmers around the world. To examine this renewed interest, we carried out a review of key literature in the field of yield gap analysis to identify important gaps in research and analysis. In so doing, both the complexities i...

This paper proposes that Sri Lanka’s nature conservation efforts are hampered by the lack of a clear understanding of the meaning of the word conservation. This lack of understanding then impedes effective implementation of conservation actions. It revisits terminology to obtain clarity of the definition of conservation. Inherent in many current de...

The book describes flowering plants that are commonly cultivated or planted in Sri Lanka for food, wood, medicine, fuelwood, shade or ornamental purposes. These plants usually have to be planted deliberately by humans and do not generally spread widely by themselves. This selection of species is offered not only through the lens of their many uses...

This paper proposes that Sri Lanka’s nature conservation efforts are hampered by the lack of a clear understanding of the meaning of the word conservation. This lack of understanding then impedes effective implementation of conservation actions. It revisits terminology to obtain clarity of the definition of conservation. Inherent in many current de...

The presentation is centred on three sections 1) Sri Lanka’s nature: setting the stage — in which a broad brush overview about Sri Lanka’s biodiversity is given; 2) Squandering our natural wealth — which describes the threats to Sri Lanka’s natural wealth; and 3) What can we do to mitigate this damage to nature? This last section focuses on small c...

This is the fourth in the series on Coastal Ecosystems of Sri Lanka. What are lagoons? It briefly describes a) what lagoons and estuaries are;? b) where they are found in the world; c) the biodiversity of lagoons and estuaries ; d) special adaptations of animals and plants in lagoons and estuaries; e) the importance of lagoons and estuaries; f) the...

This is the fifth in the series on Coastal Ecosystems of Sri Lanka. It focuses on a lesser known ecosystem to understand: a) What are tidal flats? b) Where are tidal flats found in the world? c) The biodiversity of tidal flats; d) What is the importance of tidal flats? e) What are the threats to tidal flats? and f) What is being done to conserve t...

Five countries in South Asia - Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have extensive mangroves, coral reefs, and sand dunes that harbor some of the world’s most significant coastal and marine biodiversity. The coastal sub-region of South Asia is home to about 400 million people, many are poor and vulnerable. The sub-region also fac...

Flowering Plants Commonly Encountered n Sri Lankan Habitats is aimed at the layman and explores the beauty of Sri Lanka's flowering plants in all their tremendous variety and splendour. Each page, every picture and plant write-up carries a minimum of three descriptive names out of a possible five; the botanical one, the Sinhala one, the Tamil one,...

Tourism can place heavy, additional stresses on an environment already seriously overused and overstretched. However, at the same time, travellers are becoming more conscious of their impacts on the environment, and want to know not only about what the host country offers, but also what each hotel is doing to reduce its environmental impacts. In o...

The island is experiencing a huge tourism sector increase. However, for tourism to be sustainable in the long run, incorporation of safeguards to prevent environmental degradation is of paramount importance. Because of this, CARE Sri Lanka, in partnership with IUCN, developed these guidelines for community-based nature tourism, targeted at communi...

Invited presentation given at Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Sessions

The first two volumes of this field manual focused on providing background reference material and detailing steps that should be taken during the disaster management cycle in order to integrate environmental safeguards into disaster management. In the second volume, the importance of carrying out integrated assessments was described. In this volu...

This is the second booklet in a series about coastal ecosystems in Sri Lanka, and details a) What are mangroves are; b) Where they are found in the world; c) Their importance d) Threats to mangroves and e) What is being done to conserve mangroves?

This is the third in the series of booklets on Coastal Ecosystems of Sri Lanka. It briefly describes a) What seagrasses and sand dunes are; b) Where they are found in the world; c) Special adaptations of seagrasses and sand dune vegetation; d) Their importance; e) the threats to seagrass meadows and sand dunes; and f) What is being done to conserv...

Coastal ecosystems contribute to supporting human well-being because of their immense biological resources and the varied, often life-supporting, services they provide (WRI, 2001; UNISDR/UDNP, 2012). Yet, as Duarte et al (2008) note, although there is an increase in scientific knowledge of many coastal ecosystems (including coral reefs, mangrove f...

Environmental facets are essential components of human well-being and contribute positively to human security, providing basic materials for good life, good health and good social relations. Yet, these are being damaged and overexploited, ultimately to the detriment of humans. In addition, increasing incidence and intensity of natural disasters and...

This volume presents the Disaster Management Cycle and its phases: Prevention, Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Rebuilding. It uses one of the main lessons learned after the Indian ocean tsunami of December 2004 - the lack of coordination among agencies - to recommend an integrated approach that uses assessments (including biodivers...

The Mekong River flows through six countries and drains an area of some 795, 000 km2. The Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) supports a wide variety of ecosystems including a vast wetland system, extending over some 5 million ha. During monsoons there is extensive flooding, and a natural storage system is formed which is of great importance to livelihoods in...

The ecology of the four wild cats of Sri Lanka is reviewed in this paper. Their geographical distribution, taxonomic status and their distribution and ecology within the island is discussed. Past and present research of each species is reviewed. Their conservation status and threats both globally and in Sri Lanka is reviewed and recommendations mad...

The incorporation of precise definitions for taxonomic units into wildlife legislation has necessitated the reevaluation of the taxonomy of endangered and threatened species. We used the subspecies recognition criteria proposed by Avise and Ball (1990) and O’Brien and Mayr (1991) to examine the infraspecific taxonomy of the leopard, Panthera pardus...

Using standard electrophoretic techniques genetic variation was assessed in a sample of 22 leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) and 31 Asian elephants (Elephas maximus maximus) from the collections of the National Zoological Gardens, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka. Two out of 50 loci were polymorphic in all the leopards and three out of 54 loci were polymorphic...

In the aftermath of the devastation caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, awareness that there is an inextricable link between the status of coastal ecosystems and the vulnerability of coastal inhabitants to natural disasters was brought forcefully to the forefront, because a direct correlation between the health of coastal ecosystems and the...

Typescript. Thesis (M.A.)--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 1987. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-62).