SAVING INDIA'S WILDLIFE

Students of Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation

The Post-graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation is currently training its third batch of students. Till date, thirty students have graduated from this programme. A majority of the students from the first batch are in pursuit of their doctoral research or are working with prominent organisations like the Wildlife Trust of India, Sanctuary Asia and National Centre for Biological Sciences. Ten students of the 2004-2006 batch have published their dissertation works in various journals. The students of 2006 -2008 batch are currently writing up their dissertation work for international journals and are also attending international conferences in Australia, UK and China.

Below is a brief description of the profile of some of the alumni of our course.

Presentations in international seminars and workshops

1.	Abraham, R.K. International Congress of Society of Conservation Biologists, Beijing, July 2009.
2.	Karnad, D. International Sea Turtle Conference, Australia, February 2009.
3.	Karnad, D. Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2009.
4.	Kelkar, N.S. Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2009.
5.	Krishna, C. Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2009.
6.	Rahalkar, K. Integrated Livestock, Wildlife and Predator Management. Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia. September 2008.
7.	Shetty, D. Envirovet Summer Camp 2009. Jacksonville, U.S. June 2009
8.	Singh, P. Integrated Livestock, Wildlife and Predator Management. Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia. June 2009.
9.	Srinivasan, U. Conference of Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation - Asia-Pacific Chapter, Thailand, February 2009.
10.	Suryawanshi, K.R. Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2009.
11.	Vasudev, D. 22nd Congress of the International Primatological Society, Edinburgh, U.K., August, 2008.
12.	Velho, N. Conference of Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation - Asia-Pacific Chapter, Thailand, February 2009.
13.	Abraham, D. International Meeting of the World Disease Association, Colorado, USA, August 2007.
14.	Anand, M.O. Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2007.
15.	Andheria,A.P. Felid Biology and Conservation Conference, Oxford, September 2007.
16.	Bali, A. International Congress of Society of Conservation Biologists, South Africa, July 2007.
17.	Bali, A. Asian Tropical Biology Congress, Chennai, January 2007.
18.	Dolia, J. International Congress of Society of Conservation Biologists, South Africa, July 2007.
19.	Mendiratta, U. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, U.S.A. October 2007.
20.	Teegalapalli, K. International Congress of Society of Conservation Biologists in South Africa, July 2007.

Awards and Fellowships

(2008-09)
1.	Abraham, R.K. Conservation Leadership Award from Wildlife Conservation Society, BirdLife International, Conservation International and Flora and Fauna International.
2.	Goswami, V. Alumni Association Fellowship Award, Florida University - Fall 2008.
3.	Humrashkar, D. Rufford Small Grants Award for a survey of nesting sites of Gharial along the Chambal river.
4.	Karnad, D. Best presentation Award, Student Conference on Conservation Science, Cambridge University, March 2009.
5.	Mukherjee, N. Jacques Kets Award for her Masters dissertation.
6.	Mukherjee, N. Inlaks Fellowship for Ph.D at Vrije Universiteit, Brussel.
7.	Srinivasan, U. Best presentation award, Conference of Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation - Asia-Pacific Chapter, Thailand, February 2009.
8.	Srinivasan, U. Rufford Small Grants Award for community conservation project in Arunachal Pradesh.
9.	Vasudev, D. Alumni Association Fellowship Award, Florida University - Fall 2008.
10.	Velho, N. Best presentation award, Conference of Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation - Asia-Pacific Chapter, Thailand, February 2009.
(2007-2008)
11.	Andheria, A. P. Carl Zeiss Conservation Award - 2007
12.	Bali, A. Best presentation Award - International Congress of the SCB, South Africa, 2007.
13.	Bali, A. First George Schaller Fellowship Award to Graduate Student, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
14.	Dolia, A. Best student presentation Award - International Congress of the SCB, South Africa, 2007.
15.	Mendiratta, U. Carl Zeiss Conservation Award - 2007.

Practicing Conservation

Graduates of October 2008

Aathira Perinchery participated in a survey of connectivity of populations of large mammals in the Western Ghats. She is presently examining whether genetic differences between the disjunct populations of small clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea) warrant their separation into two different species.

Dharmaveer Shetty is completing his paper from dissertation and preparing to attend the Envirovet Summer Camp 2009 in Florida.

Dipti Humrashkar & Nandini Velho are conducting a survey of gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in the Chambal area in Rajasthan, with a grant from the Gharial Conservation Alliance. They also have a grant from the Rufford Small Grants programme to continue this study.

Divya Karnad is surveying marine turtle nesting sites along the east and west coasts of India, with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment.

Kaavya Nag is working with Centre for Social Markets, building awareness about climate change and lobbying to push the Indian government to make a positive stand at the UNFCCC meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Kiran Rahalkar is in a project on leopard-human conflict in central India.

Nachiket Kelkar is in a project to estimate the population of Irrawady dolphins in Chilika Lake, and would soon commence a project on monitoring coral reef fishes in Lakshadweep Islands.

Priya Singh is working with the Centre for Wildlife Studies,Bangalore, as a member of the team carrying out camera trapping and distance sampling in tiger habitats.

Priyanka Pisharoti is doing a specialised course on teaching environmental issues at secondary school levels, in University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Robin Kurian Abraham has a grant from the Conservation Leadership programme on the conservation of endangered hill stream fishes in the Western Ghats.

Rohini Rangarajan is a correspondent with Down To Earth, one of the most widely read environmental magazine, writing on wildlife and environmental issues.

Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi is preparing a management plan for the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in Himalaya, at the request of the forest department, for the conservation of snow leopard. He would soon commence studies on man-snow leopard conflicts in the Himalaya.

Swapna, N. is surveying the Bengal slow loris in Mizoram state in northeast India with a grant from Margot Marsh Foundation.

Umesh Srinivasan is developing a community based eco-tourism plan for the Namdapha Tiger Reserve with a grant from the Rufford Foundation.

Graduates of October 2006

Aditya Bhaskaran is working with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, on insect diversity in the Western Ghats.

Anand, M.O is presently surveying habitat connectivity for large mammals between landscapes in the Western Ghats mountain ranges in south India. Soon after his Masters course he did a survey of small carnivores in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in northeast India. He would soon commence his Ph.D at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, on ecosystem services of tropical forests, in collaboration with Leeds University.

Anish Andheria is the Director of the Natural History and Science Division of Sanctuary Asia, India's leading natural history and conservation magazine. Anish also supervises Sanctuary Asia's Kids for Tigers campaign.

Archana Bali, recipient of the first George Schaller Fellowship, is doing her Ph.D. on climate change, at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Chaitanya Krishna was involved in a survey of tiger populations in southern India, working with the Centre for Wildlife Studies. He is presently studying human-wildlife conflict in Maharashtra. He would soon commence his Ph.D on harriers in the grasslands of central India.

Divya Vasudev is doing her Ph.D. in the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department of University of Florida on fragmented populations of primates, including gibbons, in northeast India, Soon after the course, she had carried out a survey of the pygmy hog in Manas Tiger Reserve.

Jignasu Dolia has completed a preliminary survey of king cobras in northwest Himalaya, and would soon commence a long term study in the same area.

Karthik, T. is doing his Ph.D. on the dynamics of forest succession in a landscape subjected to shifting cultivation in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India.

Milind Pariwakam , working with the Wildlife Trust of India, is involved in estimating tiger and prey densities in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, conservation of tiger corridors in central India, litigation against the expansion of national highways and mining in tiger corridors, monitoring of elephant mortality across India and anti-poaching training in protected areas.

Nibedita Mukherjee , with a fellowship from the Inlaks foundation is doing her Ph.D., at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, on the regeneration of mangroves in the east and west coast of India.

Samira Agnihotri is at the Centre for Ecological Studies, Indian Institute of Science, doing her Ph.D. on the sound mimicry in drongos.

Varun R. Goswami was involved with capacity building among the wildlife department staff in the Manas Tiger Reserve, and then in setting up a long term project on monitoring tiger and its prey at the Kaziranga National Park. He is presently developing his Ph.D. dissertation project on elephants in northeast India, at University of Florida.

Uttara Mendiratta is working with the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, setting up citizen networks for monitoring bird migration (http://www.migrantwatch.in/ Indian Birds Vol. 4 No. 4 July-August 2008) and plant phenology in India.

David Abraham has a grant to examine on the incidence of tuberculosis in wild, semi-wild and captive populations of Asian elephants in south India.

Students of 2004-2006:
1.	Anand M.O Anand M.O is currently pursuing a PhD at the Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, on ecosystem services and its links to biodiversity.
2.	Anish Andheria Anish Andheria (Ph.D.) is the Director - Science, Natural History and Photography with Sanctuary Asia and is a recipient of the Carl Zeiss Conservation Award 2008. He is a Fellow of LEAD International, a Leadership Programme in Environment and Development, spread across 80 countries. He helped set up Kids for Tigers, the Sanctuary Tiger Programme, in 2001 and continues to play an advisory role in the project. He has co-authored two books on Indian wildlife. He has been running a wildlife rescue center in Mumbai for over two decades. Dr. Andheria's interest lies in understanding the impact of deforestation on climate change and the impact of climate change on India's ecological security.
3.	Archana Bali Archana Bali is currently pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary science (Wildlife Biology and Natural Resources Management) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in their Resilience and Adaptation Programme (http://www.rap.uaf.edu/). She is working on the assessment of cumulative impacts of industrial development and climate change on human-rangifer systems.
4.	Chaitanya Krishna Chaitanya is currently employed at Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and is working with Assistant Professor Dr. Kavita Isvaran on a blackbuck crop damage project at Nannaj, Maharashtra.
5.	Divya Vasudev Divya Vasudev is enrolled as a PhD student at the doctoral programme offered by the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, since August 2008.
6.	T. Karthik Karthik Teegalapalli is working as a research fellow with G B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development at the north-east unit based in Itanagar. He is researching forest recovery following shifting cultivation in the Upper Siang district, Eastern Himalaya"
7.	Milind Pariwakam Milind Pariwakam is working with the Wildlife Trust of India after finishing M.Sc. For the past three years, he has been involved with programme development activities for the organisation's various conservation programmes. His specific interest is in tiger conservation and is associated with projects that aim to conserve tigers eg.: estimation of tiger population parameters, legal action to prevent destruction of habitats and anti-poaching training of forest guards.
8.	Samira Agnihotri Samira is currently pursuing PhD at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Sciences,Bangalore, under the guidance of Dr Rohini Balakrishnan.
9.	Uttara Mendiratta Uttara Mendiratta coordinates the Citizen Science Programme based at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore.
10.	Varun Goswami Varun R. Goswami is currently enrolled as a PhD student at the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida. His primary research interests are to investigate issues that directly relate to the conservation and persistence of endangered large mammalian fauna.

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