Dear First name / friend,

 

July marked a significant milestone for all of us at CWS, as we celebrated Wild Seve's 9th anniversary. We are proud to share a series of videos on our Youtube Channel here. We celebrated International Tiger Day on 29th July, shining a spotlight on the majestic big cats that continue to capture our imagination and drive our conservation endeavors.

 

In this edition of Into the Wild, join us as we delve into the latest updates. From the verdant landscapes of Gujarat to the vibrant habitats of Maharashtra, discover inspiring stories from our team.

 

Dr. Swapna Nelaballi and Dr. Narendran Kodandapani join CWS as Principal Scientists and Faculty.

 

Dr. Nelaballi graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD in Anthropology in 2023. Her journey in conservation began during a master's program, where first fieldwork experience in Nagarahole left her hooked. She has published seven scientific papers and one technical report, with three more set to be published around November this year. She has secured nine research grants and fellowships such as the DOW Sustainability Fellowship, as well as research grants from the National Geographic Society and Primate Conservation Incorporated. At CWS, she hopes to collaborate with research organizations and managers while fostering participation from the broader community, creating a strong network of citizen scientists to study endangered species such as lion-tailed macaques and hornbills.

 

Dr. Kodandapani graduated from Michigan State University, with a PhD in Geography in 2006. His journey in conservation began with mapping wildfires in the Mudumalai tiger reserve. His latest position was at Center for Advanced Spatial and Environmental Research from 2017 to 2024. He has published 25 scientific papers, book chapters and technical reports, and has successfully obtained research grants from ISRO, CSIR, GIZ and Microsoft. He has also closely worked with Indian Forest Service officials, by conducting capacity building programs for officers from various States of India. At CWS, he hopes to conduct a comparative analysis of wildfires and climate in the Western and Eastern Ghats, as well as study the ecological and human dimensions of wildfires.

 

We are delighted to welcome Aishwarya Laghate, Deep Gogoi, and Shashank Dalvi to CWS! The orientation to welcome the new cohort was held at our Bengaluru office from 1st - 4th July 2024.

 

The sessions covered essential topics such as skills required for PhD research, fundraising challenges, data management, and mind mapping techniques. The orientation was a comprehensive learning space that helped fellows understand the organizational culture, research and conservation at CWS. Additionally, engaging activities such as role plays on diversity and inclusion, field story narrations, goal setting activities and aspiration discussions took place. To learn more, click here.

 

Sumit Arora, Director, Technologies and Partnerships at CWS, has been selected to join the 2024 cohort of Tech4Good Community’s Climate Coalition supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Rainmatter Foundation.

 

With the urgency of addressing climate challenges becoming increasingly evident, the program brings together 10 fellows and is aimed at fostering innovation and empowering visionary leaders to tackle climate change head-on. To know more about the program, click here.

 

Our Doctoral Fellow, Simran Prasad, was awarded the first runner-up Gentry Award for best poster at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), held in Kigali, Rwanda from 14th - 18th July, 2024. Her poster, 'An elephantine problem in the Nilgiris: Examining household wealth inequities and community attitudes towards elephants', was focused on her PhD research on human–elephant interactions in the Western Ghats.

 

Dr. Narendran Kodandapani delivered a lecture titled ‘SDG 15 and biodiversity conservation in India’ at the UGC – Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre, University of Calicut, as part of the 17th Faculty Induction Programme on 26th July 2024. The audience included more than 25 faculty members, from various colleges and universities across India. Faculty representatives from various disciplines such as education, folklore, physics, computer science and other subjects were represented in the program.

 

Highlighting the indelible mark Dr. Reddy left on wildlife conservation in India through his lifelong dedication and humility, Dr. Karanth recalls their years of friendship and collaboration in this article he authors for The New Indian Express.

Dr. Reddy's legacy as a wildlife warrior and advocate for scientific conservation, who inspired deep respect and admiration among colleagues and forest staff will forever be remembered. To read the article, click here.

 

As a part of Dream a Dream Foundation's #redefiningsuccess series, Nitya Satheesh , Senior Program Manager and Sahil Pimpale, Program Manager - Wild Shaale, share their definition of success and talk about how programs like Wild Shaale ignite natural curiosity and empathy towards nature, in a conversation with Saba Ahmad. To watch the conversation, click here.

 

An article in Mongabay examines how habitat fragmentation, the process of dividing continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches, is a major threat to India's biodiversity hotspots. The article refers to the paper, ‘Bits and pieces: Forest fragmentation by linear intrusions in India’, led by Dr. Rajat Nayak. This paper was informed by a larger country-wide project led by Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, Dr. Ruth DeFries and Dr. K. Ullas Karanth. To read the article, click here.

"As conservation researchers, fieldwork often leads to unexpected and amusing moments. One such event happened in March with a hyena—a species I've been fascinated by since childhood, despite its portrayal in "The Lion King."

 

While staying in Vaso, Gujarat, with my friend Vishal bhai, a crocodile researcher known as 'Doctor,' I took a break on my way to Anand city to enjoy my usual strong, extra-sweet chai and check on crocodiles. Upon reaching Anand, Doctor excitedly informed me of a potential hyena sighting in a nearby village. Thrilled at the chance to see one in our research area, I postponed my schedule and joined Doctor and our field associates, Piyush and Gopi from the CharOtter Project.

 

We arrived at the village, talked to locals, and were directed to a den where the animal was spotted. After examining the den and getting confirmation from locals that it was a hyena, we set up two infrared camera traps, despite concerns about theft. The next day, torn between fieldwork and curiosity, we returned to check the cameras. With bated breath, we reviewed the footage only to find that our mystery animal was a porcupine.

 

This experience, though not the hyena sighting I had hoped for, accentuated the unpredictable and sometimes humorous nature of fieldwork, where the thrill of discovery always outweighs the occasional disappointment."

 

- Yashendu Joshi, Doctoral Fellow

The Wild Surakshe Program commenced in Maharashtra's Forest Guard Training Schools, beginning with the first workshop held at the Forest Guard Training School in Jalna. On June 21st, 2024, Sahil Pimpale, Neha Bhandare and Ravishankar Derekar led sessions on human-wildlife interactions and conflict management, hunting and wildlife trade, zoonotic diseases, and basic first aid for 62 newly recruited Forest Guards. The trainees were enthusiastic throughout the sessions, recognizing the valuable insights and practical knowledge that they believed would be highly beneficial for their future fieldwork experiences.

 

The second Wild Surakshe workshop in Maharashtra took place at the Forest Guard Training School, Shahapur in Thane District on June 29th, 2024, with participation of 72 Forest Guards. The sessions were highly interactive, with participants actively engaging in demonstrations of the recovery position to understand basic first aid. Participants found the session on zoonotic diseases particularly beneficial, enhancing their awareness of diseases that can be contracted in the field and the preventive measures they can take to ensure their safety.

Dr. Vikram Aditya, Principal Scientist, has published a chapter titled, ‘Tribal Communities of the Northern Eastern Ghats: Forest Dependence in the Context of Changing Climate’, in the book Climate Change Adaptation. He shows in his empirical work that the forest-dependent communities of the northern Eastern Ghats perceived significant forest degradation owing to climate change, plantation farming, and dam building. In planning the construction of large dams, it is imperative to include the perspective of the local communities and factor in their struggles at adaptation to human intervention in their natural habitats and the adversities of climate change that these communities are trying to adapt to. To know more about the chapter, click here.

This blog summarises the research article, 'Rigorous assessment of a unique tiger recovery in southeast Asia based on photographic capture-recapture modeling of population dynamics', led by Somphot Duangchantrasiri and published in Global Ecology and Conservation.

 

Did you know effective conservation needs to understand tiger population dynamics and regional history? Over 18 years, researchers in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM) studied tiger population dynamics, leading to better conservation strategies. Camera traps and radiotelemetry revealed insights into tiger density and survival rates. High prey populations and strict law enforcement in protected areas showed better results. This study suggests future strategies must focus on prey populations and habitat suitability to ensure the survival and growth of tiger populations. To read more, click here.

This blog summarises the research article, 'Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic capture-recapture sampling', led by Dr. K Ullas Karanth and published in Ecology.

 

Tigers, known for their elusive nature, roam vast territories with stealth, making them challenging to study in their habitats. Their solitary and territorial behavior adds to the mystery surrounding these majestic big cats, as they navigate wild landscapes. To understand their population dynamics, it is challenging to survey the entire area and it is extremely difficult to estimate all the individuals in the given area. These two form the key problems in understanding tiger population dynamics in a landscape. To read more, click here.

CWS is excited to celebrate Wild Seve’s 25,000th claim supporting families facing conflict with wildlife and celebrate the 9th anniversary of this award winning program. To date, Wild Seve has assisted over 11,700 people from more than 2000 village settlements, alleviating significant emotional and financial burdens caused by human-wildlife conflict. Yet, the need for the program persists, and every contribution brings us closer to achieving our goals.

 

We encourage you to watch this video and learn about how Wild Seve continues to be a beacon of hope for thousands of families around 9 wildlife parks in India. As we achieve 70% of our target amount, your continued support is crucial to our dedicated staff of 17 who support 1500 villages. Click here to donate today.

We hope you have enjoyed reading the latest edition of Into the Wild. We are inspired by our mission to protect India's wildlife and wildlands and hope you are too. Wishing you a joyful and vibrant August ahead!