Gehan has lived and worked for over 30 years in London. He grew up in Sri Lanka and consequently has a deep interest in the natural history of the tropics as well as that of the Western Hemisphere. Gehan is amongst a handful of field naturalists in the world who have written and photographed field guides spanning terrestrial mammals, marine mammals, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wild flowers, and trees. His books have been published by international publishers, including Bloomsbury, Bradt, John Beaufoy, and New Holland. He has a unique mix of experience in the financial services sector as well as in wildlife tourism, combined with field experience as a writer-naturalist.

Author and Photographer: Gehan has written and photographed over 25 books and over 400 articles. His articles have been published in a wide range of publications, including Birding (American Birding Association), Bird Watching magazine, and BBC Wildlife Magazine. His articles span genres from wildlife travel to bringing scientific work to a popular audience. His experience in publishing and the commercial side of tourism means he is often invited by publishers to write full-length book reviews for online platforms for important books on science and conservation. He has had over 85 full-length book reviews published in print media as well as on online platforms. Many recent book reviews are available on ResearchGate.

Commercial wildlife tourism

Gehan also understands the commercial side of wildlife tourism very well, having for a period of ten years held the twin roles of managing a specialist wildlife travel company (Jetwing Eco Holidays) and also being the director of a chain of hotels (Jetwing Hotels) in Sri Lanka. For over ten continuous years, as a stallholder, he attended the British Bird Fair as well as other international trade fairs in the UK, including WTM and Destinations. For over two decades, he has been a sounding board for companies on how to improve their wildlife tourism products on both the tour side and the design of eco lodges. He has also arranged many events for media drinks in London, followed up by facilitating press visits, and at times led press trips.

He is widely credited as the person who branded Sri Lanka as a top all-round wildlife destination. He combined science, fieldwork, writing, photography, publishing, and business skills with a flair for taking a story to local and international print and film media. In the words of British author and television wildlife presenter Bill Oddie, no single individual has done so much to raise the profile of a country for its wildlife. Gehan’s efforts have made him a wildlife celebrity in Sri Lanka. After working for ten years in Sri Lanka, he returned to London, where he continues to write on worldwide natural history.

He has broken internationally significant wildlife stories, including that Sri Lanka is a top destination for whale watching. In the late 2000s, when Sri Lanka was the best place to see blue whales, he led a publicity campaign to highlight it, which resulted in a lot of interest from international film crews. He also explained why Sri Lanka has the largest recurring gathering of wild elephants in the world. He also explained why Kalpitiya is a hot spot for whale watching and pelagic seabirds. He publicized the gatherings of sperm whales in Sri Lanka, which are among the largest that can be seen on a commercial whale watch. He branded Sri Lanka as a big game safari destination and was the first to see that Sri Lanka could be marketed as a destination for leopard safaris.

He has popularized birds, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies, and trees and wild flowers, commencing with a series of pictorial guides that dates back to 2001. In 2024, he authored and led photography of ‘A Photographic Guide to the Wildlife of Sri Lanka,’ which was published by John Beaufoy Publishing. Together with 13 other section contributors, it covered 1,180 species and was a landmark publication in developing field skills for enthusiasts as well as professional naturalists. According to internationally famous biodiversity explorer and publisher Rohan Pethiyagoda, ‘Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne is without question the most celebrated field naturalist the country has produced.’

Conservation NGO committee work

Gehan has been the Chair of the London Bird Club (LBC) for ten years, the longest-serving LBC Chair. He is also a trustee of the British Ornithologists’ Club (BOC). He also served on the Council of the London Natural History Society for 5 years.

Public Speaking: Gehan has spoken at international literary festivals, climate summits, tourism events, and bird clubs in the UK. He is also invited to moderate sessions and chair panel discussions. He leads guided nature walks in London for the London Natural History Society.

Education & corporate experience

Gehan graduated in civil engineering from Imperial College London, a global top ten university. He then qualified as a Chartered Accountant in London with Deloitte (one of the Big Four audit firms) and worked for many years in the risk management function of several city institutions. His work has been focused on risk management frameworks in city institutions, but with general applicability to many medium-sized to large corporates.