NGOs in Sri Lanka "represent a vast diversity in terms of their objectives, work, size, approaches and ideology" although to the outsider they may appear as homogeneous organisations. Some may choose to disregard this diversity for reasons of their own. Whatever the reason for such misunderstanding or misrepresentation, it has led to NGOs in Sri Lanka to be subject to serious criticism, some of which are justified but most of which are quite questionable in terms of validity and motivation. The Author has been able to give a comprehensive picture of the NGOs in the country in the context of the environmental forces that affect them favourably at times and quite adversely at others.