4 months ago
1
The passing of ecologist Madhav Gadgil connected Thursday (January 8, 2026) has near a void successful the Nilgiris wherever helium had done phenomenal work.
“Almost everyone moving connected ecology successful the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and crossed the Western Ghats, straight oregon indirectly are connected to, oregon are influenced by the enactment of Madhav Gadgil,” said a idiosyncratic who spoke to The Hindu astir the renowned ecologist’s lasting legacy.
According to ecologists and academics who either worked straight with Gadgil, oregon were acquainted with his work, his and his students’ probe successful the Western Ghats, and peculiarly successful what is contiguous known arsenic the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), laid the instauration for the designation of the region’s immense value to biodiversity and to its protection.
“It was during his students’ enactment connected elephants successful the scenery that Gadgil understood the value of a landscape-level conservation model that was required to support the Asian elephant,” said a elder idiosyncratic who requested anonymity.
“He established the Centre for Ecological Science successful the Indian institute of Sciences, Bangalore. And arsenic Director of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, helium authored the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) conception document, the archetypal Biosphere Reserve, nether the Man and Biosphere Reserve (MAB) Program of UNESCO, successful India,” said elder biology lawyer and erstwhile subordinate of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), B.J. Krishnan.
“As a Member of the WGEEP, I had the privilege of moving with Professor Gadgil and contributing to the panel’s report. Gadgil was a gentle colossus successful the tract of each inclusive, people-centric, quality conservation regime. His demise is simply a immense nonaccomplishment for quality conservation and biodiversity dependant livelihoods, added Mr. Krishnan.
Karthick Balasubramanian, idiosyncratic astatine the Agharkar Research Institute successful Pune, said that Gadgil’s bequest extends adjacent farther than the enactment of the NBR and the recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), impacting the careers of young, aspiring scientists and conservationists.
“Through his Western Ghats Network Programme, helium managed to link faculties and students from crossed the Western Ghats, from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu. This community-driven, collaborative effort has helped truthful galore teachers from crossed the landscape, and their students summation expertise successful antithetic facets of biodiversity and conservation, including specializing successful studying lesser known taxon and families of wildlife,” Mr. Balasubramanian said.
Throughout his life, Gadgil had besides voiced beardown absorption to projects that were detrimental to the ecology of the Western Ghats, including the projected Neutrino Observatory successful Singara successful the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), said Nilgiris-based environmentalist N. Mohanraj. “He besides fully-backed the notification of the Segur elephant corridor,” helium further shared.
“He had a important relation successful the Save Silent Valley Movement successful the precocious 1970s and aboriginal 1980s and was precise supporting of the Save Western Ghats March of civilian nine successful the precocious 1980’s,” added Mr. Krishnan.
“After being appointed the Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) successful 2010, the panel’s enactment was open, transparent, antiauthoritarian and progressive each the acrophobic stakeholders of Western Ghats. The Gadgil panel’s study submitted successful 2011 was globally hailed for its depth, benignant and substance. It had declared the full Western Ghats, including Nilgiris, arsenic ecologically sensitive. The study advocated an each inclusive community-centric quality conservation that supported and enhanced section livelihoods. The study straight confronted the pro-market governmental system of the country. It was people-centric and not GDP oriented and truthful not acceptable to the governmental class. The Government of India and each the 5 acrophobic Western Ghats States rejected the report. But it’s tone lives on,” helium added.
