Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda wins Linnean Medal, the ‘Nobel Prize for naturalists’
Source:Brisbane Sri Lankan Newsletter – Dæhæna – July 2022
Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda was awarded the Linnean Medal which is considered as the Nobel Prize for naturalists, at a ceremony in London.
He is the first Sri Lankan to win the annual medal bestowed since 1888 to a botanist or a zoologist, or to one of each,
in the same year.
Dr. Pethiyagoda is an author, educator and taxonomist and once served as deputy chair of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission. He is also a Rolex laureate.“His impact on biodiversity research in Sri Lanka and beyond through his output and catalytic influence cannot be overestimated” the award committee wrote, and the author of this commentary explains why this is so.
Amongst his copious outputs, Pethiyagoda has contributed greatly in highlighting the very history of biodiversity in Asia, linking together scientists, artists, travelers, and explorers in both the East
and the West. One of his first books was a comprehensive colour guide to the freshwater fish of Sri Lanka – a best seller. In November 2020, in a paper published in the journal Zootaxa, an international team of scientists named a new genus of diminutive Asian tree frogs in honour of Sri Lankan scientist Rohan Pethiyagoda.
Courtesy:https://www.ft.lk/
