Rohan Pethiyagoda

The Agrapatana Arboretum, a 35-hectare mountain tract located in Sri Lanka's central mountains purchased by Pethiyagoda's Wildlife Heritage Trust, houses a breeding centre for some 50 threatened native species of lizards, mice, shrews and frogs. Sri Lanka, 2000

Rohan Pethiyagoda, pictured in his study in Colombo, founded the Wildlife Heritage Trust in order to explore and conserve Sri Lanka's rich, but threatened, biodiversity. Sri Lanka, 2000

Workers construct a road in the Agra Arboretum, a 35-hectare mountain tract purchased by Pethiyagoda's Wildlife Heritage Trust to recreate rainforest microcosms for the protection of Sri Lanka's threatened biodiversity. Sri Lanka, 2000

Pethiyagoda (right) and his research assistant Sudath Nanayakkara examine an old tree in the mountain forest of the Agra Arboretum. It will take at least 30 years for these trees to reach maturity and become an ecological microcosm for Sri Lanka's endangered species. Sri Lanka, 2000

More than 300 species of ferns and fern allies grow in Sri Lanka's forests. Sri Lanka, 2000

Thanks to Pethiyagoda's project to recreate rainforest microcosms, Sri Lanka is today recognised as one of the world’s most biologically diverse environments. Sri Lanka, 2000

Pethiyagoda, founder and director of the Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, looks for rare specimens in the Agrapatana Arboretuma mountain cascade. Sri Lanka, 2000

Pethiyagoda captures a dragonfly at the Agra Arboretum. Dragonflies are among the most common flying insects that can be found in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, 2000

The plant nursery is an important element of the Agra Arboretum in central Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, 2000

A tree frog, one of the more than 200 species of frogs identified by the Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka

The barred danio (Danio pathirana) is endangered and found only in a few streams of the Nitwala River. Sri Lanka

The five-bar swordtail (Pathysa antiphates) is one of Sri Lanka's rarest butterflies. Sri Lanka

A yet-to-be named freshwater crab discovered by the Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka is one of over 35 identified by the trust. Sri Lanka