Dear First name / friend,

 

June marks a pivotal time for global biodiversity. At CWS, we commemorated World Environment Day by collaborating with fellow organizations, attending global conferences, and launching our innovative new program, Wild Incubator Tech. As we reflect on these milestones, we also look ahead to exciting upcoming projects.

 

Explore this edition of Into the Wild with us, as we share some memorable updates from our frontline scientists and conservationists.

 

Our CEO, Dr. Krithi K. Karanth met Dr. Siva Sundaresan, Deputy Director, and Dr. Daphne Carlson, Head, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to celebrate their partnership with Centre for Wildlife Studies. Our partnership goes back more than three decades to conserve tigers, elephants, rhinos and apes in India.

 

Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, was amongst the 175 Explorers who were invited to Washington D.C. for a week-long convening at the National Geographic Explorers Festival 2024. The festival honored exceptional Explorers driving significant, positive impact, through several awards like the ROLEX National Geographic Explorer of the Year, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation Buffett Awards for Leadership in Conservation, and the Wayfinder Award. Participants heard presentations from 20 Explorers whose groundbreaking work across science, conservation, education and storytelling is changing our world for the better. 

 

A diverse team of 10 conservation scientists and practitioners from CWS attended the Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, from 14th to 16th June, 2024. Dr. Vikram Aditya, Principal Scientist, gave a presentation titled, ‘The Ecological Underpinnings of Human – Wildlife Interactions: Insights into human-wildlife coexistence through temporal activity overlaps in the Eastern Ghats'. Imran Siddique, Senior Field Conservationist, presented 'Navigating the Nexus of Connectivity and Conflict: A Framework for Conservation in Shared Landscapes'. Sikha Hariharan, Doctoral Fellow, did a poster presentation on 'Insights into the space use and habitat selection of lion tailed macaques'. The Media and Outreach team also engaged with the attendees through an interactive stall and lucky draw on all three days.

 

The Frontiers Planet Prize was launched in 2023 to mobilize scientists and reward breakthrough research with the greatest potential to help humanity continue to thrive within the boundaries of our Earth system. As part of the independent Jury of 100 leading planetary experts, Dr. Krithi K. Karanth was invited to moderate a session with the recipients of last year's Frontiers Planet Prize on 25th June 2024 in Switzerland.

 

Dr. Krithi K. Karanth was invited to the Villars Symposium, from 25th to 28th June 2024, in Switzerland. She was part of the plenary discussion titled, 'Putting Communities at the Heart of Nature and Climate Action', that discussed how community development can improve quality of life while respecting the integrity of the natural systems that surround them. She also moderated an intergenerational workshop with leading scientists of the Frontiers Planet Prize, to explore innovative approaches for managing land systems sustainably, balancing conservation with development, and ensuring prosperity for both people and the planet.

 

On the occasion of World Environment Day on 5th June 2024, CWS was invited by Cisco to curate a day of activities for their employees. The day engaged Cisco employees across their offices with a talk by Dr. Vikram Aditya on endangered species in India, an interactive quiz curated by the CWS research team about India's wildlife ecology, and an art activity designed for their Bengaluru office, by the CWS Media and Outreach team. The participants won exciting prizes and were thoroughly engaged.

 

Soma Bhattacharya, Human Resources Senior Program Manager, was one of the 34 HR Leaders from 26 organizations that attended the HR Workshop and ImpactHire Wireframe Showcase, on 15th June 2024, at the Quest Learning Observatory in Bangalore. The workshop offered HR leaders a dedicated forum to openly explore the challenges of hiring in the social sector and brainstorm innovative strategies to overcome them. The collaborative effort also focused on reviewing the proposed features and wireframes of the ImpactHire platform.

 

This World Environment Day, we announced the exciting launch of the Wild Incubator Tech Program, in partnership with Ashraya Hastha Trust. This initiative will provide 5 grants to NGOs working on innovative technologies focussed on addressing current wildlife science and conservation challenges. The program is designed to address the technology gap of Indian innovation and the scalability of wildlife conservation solutions. By focusing on the development of India-specific technological solutions, the incubator will foster innovations that are directly aligned with the unique conservation needs of India’s biodiversity. For more information, click here.

 

It is important that we honor individuals dedicated to safeguarding our ecosystems, such as Mr. Chikkaningaiah CK, , Field Coordinator with the Wild Seve and Wild Carbon programs, who received the Exceptional Service Award for his invaluable contributions to CWS. This prestigious accolade recognizes his nine-year-long commitment to the organization. Through his time with us, Mr. Chikkaningaiah continues to provide critical support and his tireless advocacy has not only helped safeguard wildlife, but also changed the lives of countless individuals.

 

India’s first generation of forest officials worked on critical issues such as habitat restoration and law enforcement between 1974 and 2000. Both tiger densities and prey population rose as a result of these dedicated efforts. However, the Tiger Task Force constituted in 2005 expanded the tiger conservation mission to other ecodevelopment measures diluting the earlier focused protection. 

 

Additionally, using an unscientific ‘pugmark tiger census’ the bureaucracy claimed that tiger numbers had dropped to 1400 in 2006, from the earlier estimate of 3600 in 2002. Further, auditing of scientific monitoring of tigers and their habitats was entrusted to the same organizations using the unreliable pugmark census.

“This poorly conceived methodology has generated unreliable tiger numbers in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022,” writes Dr. K Ullas Karanth. The improbable low numbers estimated by this method sets the stage to subsequently claim that tiger conservation has been successful in the country. To read the article, click here.

 

Our advisory council member, Narayan Ramachandran, was invited to The Seen and The Unseen podcast hosted by Amit Varma. Mr. Ramachandran talks about playing the long game, how time frames have shifted, and the importance of stimulating change, building institutions and making ideas and serendipity come together. He says, “In the context of computers and other algorithmic ways of making money, the only true advantage the human being possesses is time.” To listen to the episode, click here.

"I recently had the joy of exploring the beautiful Pachisi village, located in the Almora district of Kumaun region in Uttarakhand. The village is embraced by landscapes with lush green paddy fields, wheat crops, and a variety of vegetables. The surrounding forest hosts a mix of pine, oak, rhododendron, and deodar trees, teeming with wildlife such as leopards, barking deer, and many other life forms, showcasing the region's rich biodiversity.

 

During my visit, there was a woman that was working in her fields, when I decided to approach her. As we began talking, our conversation progressed from everyday topics to discussing the loss of forest and wildlife in the area, she expressed a thought that stuck with me: “Didi, if we're without furniture, we'll make do by sitting on the ground, but without air and water, we'd be left with nowhere to go.”

 

Her words not only astonished me but also revealed the villagers' profound connection with their jungles. They see the forest not merely as a resource but as a vital part of their lives and livelihoods. This deep-rooted bond reflects their understanding of the forest's significance in providing sustenance, shelter, and security.

 

This experience left a lasting impression on me, emphasizing the importance of valuing and preserving our natural environment. It serves as a reminder of the critical role forests play in sustaining life on Earth and the need for responsible stewardship to ensure their preservation for future generations. 

 

The wisdom and care exhibited by the people of Pachisi village serve as an inspiring example for us all, urging us to appreciate the true value of forests and the environment that sustains us."

 

- Kavya Pandey, Doctoral Fellow

Mohammed Saheem, Shal Sabeel and Nikhil Jacob from the Wild Surakshe team conducted two workshops at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, Coimbatore, on 17th May, 2024. The Workshop was conducted for 55 Post Promotional Forester Trainees in the morning and for 29 Range Forester Officer Trainees from Maharashtra in the afternoon. The sessions were interactive and the participants were engaged through the sessions about human wildlife interactions, conflict management, zoonotic diseases, basic first aid and more.

 

We are excited to share our latest publication, ‘Rigorous assessment of a unique tiger recovery in Southeast Asia based on photographic capture-recapture modeling of population dynamics’, published in Global Ecology and Conservation on 8th June 2024.

 

This study examines the tiger population recovery in the Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM) across two decades, covering 6,470 km². The Government of Thailand established this unique tiger monitoring system in WEFCOM in collaboration with independent researchers via a public-private partnership. 

 

The study was led by Somphot Duangchantrasiri from Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, along with co-authors Mayuree Sornsa and Dr. Pornkamol Jornburom from Wildlife Conservation Society-Thailand; Dr. Devcharan Jathanna from Wildlife Conservation Society-India; Dr. Anak Pattanavibool from Kasetsart University; Saksit Simcharoen, Permsak Kanishthajata, Piyapong Suebsen, and Supalerk Klanprasert from Wildlife and Plant Conservation; Dr. N. Samba Kumar, Chandan Kumar Pandey, and Dr. K. Ullas Karanth from the Centre for Wildlife Studies. To read the article, click here.

Curious about the where and why of primate habitats? Dive into our latest blog exploring the groundbreaking study mapping geographical ranges of 15 Indian primate species. Discover how our scientists unravel the puzzle, revealing the intricate balance of factors shaping the presence of different primate species—from protected areas to human impacts—inspiring action for their preservation. To read more click here.

Discover how resource abundance shapes common langur group dynamics in southern India's forests. A CWS study from 2006 from Bandipur, Mudumalai, and Nagarahole National Parks revealed surprising insights into how food availability influences group size and composition. Contrary to expectations, predators had minimal direct impact. Adult male langurs, unexpectedly, showed heightened sensitivity to resource changes compared to females. These findings shed light on the intricate social behaviors of langurs and highlight the importance of habitat quality for wildlife conservation. To read more, click here.

As we conclude an enthralling month, we hope you enjoyed reading this latest edition of Into the Wild, and that you are just as inspired as we are in our mission to protect India's wildlife and wildlands. We wish you a joyful and vibrant July ahead!