Madhav Gadgil
Encyclopedia
Madhav Gadgil is an Indian ecologist.
. He has been an IBM Fellow of the Computing Centre, Research Fellow in Applied Mathematics and a Lecturer in Biology at Harvard University.
From 1973 to 2004 he was on the faculty of Indian Institute of Science
, Bangalore where he founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Stanford and as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the University of California
, Berkeley.
Prof. Madhav Gadgil's research interests include population biology
, conservation biology
, human ecology
and ecological history
and he has published over 215 research papers and 6 books, "This Fissured Land" and "Ecology and Equity", "Diversity : The cornerstone of life" , "Nurturing Biodiversity: An Indian Agenda" “ Ecological Journeys”,and “People’s Biodiversity Registers: A Methodology Manual”. Two of his research papers have been recognized as citation classics. He writes regularly for popular media in English and Indian languages.
He developed strong traditions of working with researchers, teachers, and policy makers as well as NGO workers, farmers and other citizens throughout the country. This has led to innovative experiments of involving High School and College teachers and students in inventorying and monitoring of biodiversity. He worked on the committee that drafted India’s Biological Diversity Act 2002. He is active in a network of educational institutions working towards monitoring the biodiversity of Western Ghats established as a part of his activities as a Pew Fellow in Conservation and the Environment, and in a countrywide effort of voluntary agencies to prepare “Peoples’s Biodiversity Registers”. He currently chairs the Committee to revise the Environmental Education Curriculum at the School stage.
in India, where he has been involved in the establishment of the country's first biosphere reserve.
Prof. Gadgil was a member of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India from 1986–90 and chaired the Science and Technology Advisory Panel of Global Environment Facility from 1998-2002. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences
, Indian National Science Academy
, Third World Academy of Sciences
, a Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the British Ecological Society
and Ecological Society of America.
He is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
for Biological Sciences and the Vikram Sarabhai and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar awards. Prof. Gadgil was awarded the prestigious Centennial Medal for the year 2002 from Harvard University
, USA and the Volvo Environment Prize
in 2003. He was conferred Padmashri and Padma Bhushan
by the President of India and the Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka. Received the Firodia Award for excellence in science and technology in 2007.
During the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), which took place between the 20th and the 23rd of July in Bali, Indonesia, Dr. Madhav Gadgil was awarded Honorary Fellowships, along with another internationally acknowledged scientist Dr. Kuswata Kartawinata from India. Honorary Fellowships is awarded to individuals who, through a long distinguished career, have contributed greatly to the advance of tropical biology and/or the conservation of tropical ecosystems. All Honorary Fellows are individuals who have an extraordinary long-term commitment to the cause of tropical biology and/or conservation, who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in this field, and who have played a tremendous role in the mentorship and inspiration of new generations of tropical biologists and conservationists.
Biography
He was born in Maharashtra studied biology at University of Poona and University of Bombay before doing a Ph.D. thesis in the area of mathematical ecology at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has been an IBM Fellow of the Computing Centre, Research Fellow in Applied Mathematics and a Lecturer in Biology at Harvard University.
From 1973 to 2004 he was on the faculty of Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
, Bangalore where he founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/. He has also served as a Visiting Professor at Stanford and as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Berkeley.
Prof. Madhav Gadgil's research interests include population biology
Population biology
Population biology is a study of populations of organisms, especially the regulation of population size, life history traits such as clutch size, and extinction...
, conservation biology
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
, human ecology
Human ecology
Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
and ecological history
History of ecology
Ecology is generally spoken of as a new science, having only become prominent in the second half of the 20th century. More precisely, there is agreement that ecology emerged as a distinct discipline at the turn of the 20th century, and that it gained public prominence in the 1960s, due to...
and he has published over 215 research papers and 6 books, "This Fissured Land" and "Ecology and Equity", "Diversity : The cornerstone of life" , "Nurturing Biodiversity: An Indian Agenda" “ Ecological Journeys”,and “People’s Biodiversity Registers: A Methodology Manual”. Two of his research papers have been recognized as citation classics. He writes regularly for popular media in English and Indian languages.
He developed strong traditions of working with researchers, teachers, and policy makers as well as NGO workers, farmers and other citizens throughout the country. This has led to innovative experiments of involving High School and College teachers and students in inventorying and monitoring of biodiversity. He worked on the committee that drafted India’s Biological Diversity Act 2002. He is active in a network of educational institutions working towards monitoring the biodiversity of Western Ghats established as a part of his activities as a Pew Fellow in Conservation and the Environment, and in a countrywide effort of voluntary agencies to prepare “Peoples’s Biodiversity Registers”. He currently chairs the Committee to revise the Environmental Education Curriculum at the School stage.
Awards and recognition
He was awarded the National Environmental Fellowship in recognition of his field research on the people-environment relationship on the hill chain of Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in India, where he has been involved in the establishment of the country's first biosphere reserve.
Prof. Gadgil was a member of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India from 1986–90 and chaired the Science and Technology Advisory Panel of Global Environment Facility from 1998-2002. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences
Indian Academy of Sciences
The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Sir C. V. Raman, and was registered as a Society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Professor Raman as President, and adopted...
, Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
, Third World Academy of Sciences
Third World Academy of Sciences
TWAS, until 2004 named Third World Academy of Sciences and now TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is a merit-based science academy uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in...
, a Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the British Ecological Society
British Ecological Society
The British Ecological Society is a learned society in the field of ecology that was founded in 1913. It was the first ecological society in the world. The society's original objective was "to promote and foster the study of Ecology in its widest sense" and this remains the central theme guiding...
and Ecological Society of America.
He is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology is awarded annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics...
for Biological Sciences and the Vikram Sarabhai and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar awards. Prof. Gadgil was awarded the prestigious Centennial Medal for the year 2002 from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, USA and the Volvo Environment Prize
Volvo Environment Prize
Volvo Environment Prize is an annual international award originating in Sweden. The prize is awarded to individuals who explore the way to a sustainable world...
in 2003. He was conferred Padmashri and Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by the President of India and the Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka. Received the Firodia Award for excellence in science and technology in 2007.
During the 2010 annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), which took place between the 20th and the 23rd of July in Bali, Indonesia, Dr. Madhav Gadgil was awarded Honorary Fellowships, along with another internationally acknowledged scientist Dr. Kuswata Kartawinata from India. Honorary Fellowships is awarded to individuals who, through a long distinguished career, have contributed greatly to the advance of tropical biology and/or the conservation of tropical ecosystems. All Honorary Fellows are individuals who have an extraordinary long-term commitment to the cause of tropical biology and/or conservation, who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in this field, and who have played a tremendous role in the mentorship and inspiration of new generations of tropical biologists and conservationists.
External links
- Prof. Madhav Gadgil's Homepage http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/cesmg/
- Centre for Ecological Sciences http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/
- Indian Institute of Science http://www.iisc.ernet.in/
- Prof. Madhav Gadgil's publications http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/hpg/envis/mg/index.htm
- People's Biodiversity Registers http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/PBR.html