Madhav Gadgil’s enduring legacy in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

Madhav Gadgil’s enduring legacy in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

The passing of ecologist Madhav Gadgil on Wednesday has left a void in the Nilgiris, where he had done phenomenal work.

“Almost everyone working on ecology in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and across the Western Ghats, directly or indirectly, is connected to, or is influenced by the work of Madhav Gadgil,” said a scientist who spoke to The Hindu about the ecologist’s lasting legacy.

Ecologists and academics who either worked directly with Gadgil or were familiar with his work say his research and that of his students in the Western Ghats, particularly in what is today known as the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR), laid the foundation for the recognition of the region’s importance to biodiversity and to its protection.

“It was during his students’ work on elephants in the landscape that Gadgil understood the importance of a landscape-level conservation framework that was required to protect the Asian elephant,” said a senior scientist who requested anonymity.

“He established the Centre for Ecological Science in the Indian institute of Sciences, Bangalore. And as Director of the Centre for Ecological Sciences, he authored the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve concept document, the first Biosphere Reserve, under the Man and Biosphere Reserve (MAB) Program of UNESCO, in India,” said the former member of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) B.J. Krishnan.

“As a member of the WGEEP, I had the privilege of working with Professor Gadgil and contributing to the panel’s report. Gadgil was a gentle colossus in the field of all-inclusive, people-centric, nature conservation regime. His demise is a huge loss for nature conservation and biodiversity dependant livelihoods, Mr. Krishnan said.

Karthick Balasubramanian, scientist at the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune, said that Mr. Gadgil’s legacy extended even further than the formation of the NBR and the recommendations of the WGEEP, as it helped shape the careers of young, aspiring scientists and conservationists. “Through his Western Ghats Network Programme, he managed to connect faculties and students from across the Western Ghats, from Gujarat to Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Balasubramanian said.