Renowned Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil died in Pune late on Wednesday after a brief illness, Hindustan Times quoted his son Siddhartha Gadgil as saying. He was 83 years old.
Widely regarded as a leading figure in Indian ecology, Gadgil was best known for chairing the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, appointed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2010. The panel’s 2011 report, commonly referred to as the Gadgil Report, warned that activities such as mining, quarrying, large dams and unregulated infrastructure development posed serious risks to the ecologically fragile Western Ghats.
The report, despite strong opposition, recommended that 75% of the mountain range be declared environmentally sensitive owing to the presence of a variety of endemic species and dense forest cover, Hindustan Times reported.
These recommendations are yet to be fully implemented.
Gadgil, born in Pune in 1942, was educated in Pune and Mumbai, after which he went Harvard University to pursue higher studies. At Harvard, he completed a doctoral thesis in mathematical ecology.
He spent more than three decades on the faculty of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences there in 1983.
Gadgil authored or co-authored seven books and over 225 scientific papers. His major works include This Fissured Land, co-authored with Ramachandra Guha, Ecology and Equity and his autobiography A Walk Up the Hill.
Gadgil has also served on the Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister and chaired international bodies, including the Science and Technology Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility.
He received several national and international honours, including the Padma Shri in 1981, the Padma Bhushan in 2006, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2015 and the Volvo Environment Prize.
In 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme named him a Champion of the Earth, describing him as a “people’s scientist”.
“His research has helped to protect marginalized people, promote the community-driven conservation of ecosystems, from forests to wetlands, and influence policymaking at the highest level,” the UN body had said then.
In a social media post after Gadgil’s death, former Environment Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described him as “a top-notch academic scientist, a tireless field researcher, a pioneering institution-builder, a great communicator, a firm believer in people’s networks and movements, and friend, philosopher, guide, and mentor to many for over five decades”.
Also read: Ramachandra Guha: What I learnt from Madhav Gadgil, towering ecologist with a social conscience
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