Wikipedia

Madhav Gadgil

For the environmental report, seeGadgil Commission.

Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil(born 24 May 1942) is an Indian ecologist,[1]academic, writer, columnist and the founder of theCentre for Ecological Sciences,[2]a research forum under the aegis of theIndian Institute of Science.[3]He is a former member of the Scientific Advisory Council to thePrime Minister of Indiaand the Head of theWestern Ghats Ecology Expert Panel(WGEEP) of 2010, popularly known as theGadgil Commission.[4][5]

Ecologist
Madhav Gadgil
B.Sc.(Poona),M.Sc.(Bombay),Ph.D.(Harvard)
Madhav Gadgil
Born
Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil

(1942-05-24)24 May 1942(age 82)
Pune,Bombay Presidency,British Raj
NationalityBritish Raj(1942–1947)
India(1947–Present)
Education
Alma mater
Known forGadgil Commission
People Biodiversity Register in India
SpouseDr.Sulochana Gadgil
Parent(s)Smt.Pramila andDr.Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsEcology,Conservation Biology,Human Ecology,Ecological history
InstitutionsHarvard University
Centre for Ecological Sciences,Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
ThesisLife History Strategies: A Theoretical Investigation(1969)
Doctoral advisorWilliam H. Bossert

He is a recipient of theVolvo Environment Prize and theTyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.TheGovernment of Indiaawarded him the fourth highest civilian award of thePadma Shriin 1981 and followed it up with the third highest award of thePadma Bhushanin 2006.[6]

Academic career

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Gadgil was born on 24 May 1942[7]inPune,in the western Indian state ofMaharashtra.His parents were Pramila andDhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil,a Cambridge scholar,[8]economist, former director of theGokhale Instituteand the author of theGadgil formula.[9]He graduated in biology fromFergusson Collegeof theUniversity of Punein 1963, and secured a master's degree in zoology from theMumbai Universityin 1965.[10][11]

Harvard years

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Gadgil was encouraged to joinHarvard Universityby Giles Mead, then curator of fishes at theHarvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.Initially intending to do research under Mead, Gadgil later changed subjects by hearing lectures ofE. O. Wilson,"the brightest young star in the ecology-evolution end of biology at Harvard at that time," and subsequently did his doctoral research on mathematical ecology and fish behaviour, under the guidance of William Bossert,[8]one of Wilson's former students.[12]

It earned him a PhD in 1969.[13]Subsequently, he received a Fellowship fromIBMto continue his work as a research fellow at the Harvard Computing Center and simultaneously worked as a lecturer of biology at the university for two years.[13]

Return to India

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He returned to India in 1971[14]and took up a job as a scientific officer atAgharkar Research Instituteof the Maharashtra Association for Cultivation of Science, Pune where he stayed for two years.[10]In 1973, he joined theIndian Institute of Science(IISc),Bengaluru,starting an association that would stretch for over thirty years, superannuating from the institute as its chairman in 2004.[10]During this period, he established two research centres at IISc, theCentre of Theoretical Studiesand theCentre for Ecological Studies.[13]He also worked as a visiting professor atStanford University(1991) and theUniversity of California, Berkeley(1995). After his retirement from IISc, he went back to Pune in 2004 to resume his association with Agharkar Research Institute[10]and holds theDamodar Dharmanand Kosambichair of the visiting research professor at theUniversity of Goa.[15][16]

In 1976, when theGovernment of Karnatakadecided to look into protecting the bamboo resources of the state, Gadgil was asked to conduct a study, which is reported to have influenced the government to curb the subsidies provided to forest based industries.[17]A decade later, in 1986, he was appointed as a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister of India, a post he held till 1990.[17]During this period, he assisted the efforts to establish the firstbiospherereserve in the country at theNilgirisin 1986.[17]In 1998, he was appointed the chairman of theScience and Technology Advisory Panel of Global Environment Facility,an agency under the United Nations. He held the chair till 2002. He also served as a member of the environmental education panel of theNational Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) and as a member of theNational Advisory Council.[18]He is a member of theNational Tiger Conservation Authority[17]and is the chairman of the committee proposingEnvironmental Education Curriculumat School level.[19]In 2010, when the Government of India constituted an expert panel,Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel(WGEEP), to examine the ecological issues related to theWestern Ghats,he was selected as the chairman of the panel.[20]

Personal life

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Gadgil, an active sportsman during his college years, held the Maharashtra State Junior andPune Universityhigh jump records in 1959 and 1961 respectively. He has also represented Pune University at the All India University Athletic meet.[21]He is married toSulochana Gadgil,a notedmeteorologistand aHarvardscholar, whom he met during his Fergusson College years.[14]The couple has a daughter, who is a journalist cum Spanish teacher, and a son, a mathematician.[11][14]The family lives in Pune, his home town. His life story has been recorded in a biographical book,Vidnyanyatri – Dr. Madhav Gadgil,written inMarathiby A. P. Deshpande.[22]

Legacy

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NilgirisBiosphere Reserve
Poomparai village in the foothills ofWestern Ghats.

One of the major contributions of Gadgil is his effort towards the preservation of ecology of India. His early researches in the 1980s have helped in the identification of theNilgirisas the firstbiospherereserve in India.[17]As the chairman of theWestern Ghats Ecology Expert Panel(WGEEP), which later came to be known as theGadgil Commission,he submitted a report in 2011,[23]marking around 64 percent of the Western Ghats region asEcologically Sensitive Area(ESA).[18]The report attracted support and dissension,[24]the environmentalists welcoming the recommendations and the state governments of the neighbouring states and theSyro-Malabar Catholic Churchof Kerala disapproving it.[20][23]This paved way for the subsequentKasturirangan Commission,which diluted the recommendations to a level more acceptable to the state governments.[18]He has been credited by many with the introduction of quantitative investigations of ecology and animal behaviour in India and for including humans as a vital part ofecosystems.[17][25]His contributions, as a member of the draft committee, has been reported in the preparation of the Biological Diversity Act 2002[26]and the manual he prepared for thePeople's Biodiversity Registershas been accepted by theNational Biodiversity Authority.[21]He is still associated with the Authority in the preparation of a biodiversity inventory at the local bodies' level.[21]

Gadgil is known to have done extensive researches in the areas ofpopulation biology,conservation biology,human ecologyandecological history.His researches have been documented by over 250 scientific articles,[10]published in various journals and magazines.[27]He developed a penchant for writing at an early age and his first publication was a series of ten articles on animal behaviour, published inSrishtidnyan,aMarathi languagescience magazine, when he was studying in the 10th standard.[17]His doctoral thesis is reported to have been a citation classic.[17][28]He published his first book in English,This Fissured Land,a book on the ecological history of India, in 1992.[29]The next book,Ecology and Equity: The Use and Abuse of Nature in Contemporary India,[30]again co-authored byRamachandra Guha,was released in 1995, followed byNurturing Biodiversity: An Indian Agenda,a book co-authored by P. R. Seshagiri Rao, in 1998.[31]In 2005, he published two books,Diversity: The cornerstone of life[32]andEcological Journeys.[33]As a part of his responsibilities as aPew Fellow in Conservation and the Environment,[34]he has contributed towards the preparation ofPeople's Biodiversity Registersand has published a manual,People's Biodiversity Registers: A Methodology Manual.[35][36]Some of his books have been translated into many languages and serve as texts for academic studies.[24]He has also published two books,[15]Nisarganiyojan Lokasahabhaganebeing one among them,[28]and over 40 articles in Marathi and handled a fortnightly column on natural history, inThe Hindu,from 1999 till 2004.[21]He handles a monthly column in the Marathi daily,Sakal.[21]

Books
  • Madhav Gadgil, Ramachandra Guha (1992).This Fissured Land.Oxford University Press India. p. 312.ISBN9780198077442.
  • Madhav Gadgil, Ramachandra Guha (1995).Ecology and Equity: The Use and Abuse of Nature in Contemporary India.Routeledge. p. 223.ISBN978-0415125246.
  • Madhav Gadgil, P. R. Seshagiri Rao (1998).Nurturing Biodiversity: An Indian Agenda.Centre for Environment Education. p. 163.ISBN9788186385135.
  • Madhav Gadgil (2005).Diversity: The cornerstone of life.Vigyan Prasar. p. 64.ISBN8174800263.
  • Madhav Gadgil (2005).Ecological Journeys.Orient Blackswan. p. 257.ISBN9788178241128.
  • Madhav Gadgil (2013), Science, democracy and ecology in India. Nehru Memorial Museum & LibraryISBN978-8187614760[37]

Awards and recognition

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Dr. Madhav Gadgil and Col. Ashwin Baindur at Wikidata workshop in Pune on 18 September 2017

TheIndian National Science Academy(INSA) elected him as their Fellow in 1984.[10]Six years later, the two other major science academies of India, TheIndian Academy of Sciences(IAS)[7]and theNational Academy of Sciences, India(NASI), followed suit by electing him as a Fellow in 1990.[38]He is Fellow of theThird World Academy of Sciences(TWAS), an honorary Fellow of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) and a recipient of the National Environment Fellowship of theMinistry of Environment and Forestsfor his field research in theWestern Ghats.[39]He was elected as a Foreign Associate of theUS National Academy of Sciencesin 1991[40]and he serves as a member of theBritish Ecological Societyand Ecological Society of America.[3][39]

The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shriin 1981[6]and theCouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), an autonomous government agency awarded himShanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology,the highest Indian award in the Science and Technology sector, in 1986.[41]In between, in 1983, the Government of Karnataka honoured him withRajyotsava Prashasthi,their second highest civilian award.[21]His alma mater,Harvard University,presented him with theHarvard Centennial Medal,an annual honour given to its alumni for their achievements in their respective field of service, in 2002.[42]The next year, he shared the 2003Volvo Environment Prizeof the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, withMuhammad Yunus,thesocial entrepreneurfrom Bangladesh.[43]

Gadgil received thePadma Bhushan,the third highest civilian award from the Government of India in 2006[6]and theH. K. Firodia awardof the H. K. Firodia Foundation reached him a year later, in 2007.[44]TheCentral University of Orissahonoured him with the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2013[25]andThe Energy and Resources Institute(TERI) recognised the contributions of theWestern Ghats Ecology Experts Panel(WGEEP) and its chairman with the Georgescu-Roegen Award in 2014.[45]TheUniversity of Southern Californiaawarded him theJohn and Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievementin 2015, which he shared withJane Lubchenco,a Distinguished Professor ofOregon State University,[24]making him the second Indian, afterM. S. Swaminathan,to receive the Prize.[46]He is also a recipient of theVikram SarabhaiAward andIshwarchandra VidyasagarAward.[21]

He received the Fergusson Gaurav Puraskar 2019, for being an Outstanding Alumnus from hisAlma Mater,Fergusson Collegeon 6 January 2019.

Eponymy

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Elaeocarpus gadgilii,is a tree species described in 2021 from the Nelliampathy hills in Palakkad district of Kerala, India named in honour of him.[47]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Gadgil, Madhav."My Fundays".The telegraph. Archived fromthe originalon 11 September 2012.Retrieved11 January2012.
  2. ^"Centre for Ecological Sciences".Indian Institute of Science. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  3. ^ab"HONORARY MEMBERSHIP AWARD"(PDF).Ecological Society of America. 2015.Retrieved7 October2015.
  4. ^"FDI does not benefit any country".ReDiff Business. 27 July 2012.Retrieved7 October2015.
  5. ^"Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel"(PDF).Ministry of Environment and Forests. 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 September 2015.Retrieved7 October2015.
  6. ^abc"Padma Awards"(PDF).Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 October 2015.Retrieved21 July2015.
  7. ^ab"IAS Fellow".Indian Academy of Sciences. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  8. ^abGadgil, M. (September 1993). "In love with life".Seminar(409): 25–30.
  9. ^"Shri. Dhananjayrao Gadgil".Saharakar Bharati. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved10 October2015.
  10. ^abcdef"INSA Fellow".Indian National Science Academy. 2015.Retrieved7 October2015.
  11. ^abRamachandra Guha (2006).How Much Should a Person Consume?: Environmentalism in India and the United States.University of California Press. p. 262.ISBN9780520248038.
  12. ^(Michael L. Lewis 2003,pp. 109–137)
  13. ^abc"2015 Tyler Laureates".University of Southern California. 2015.Retrieved7 October2015.
  14. ^abcSulochana Gadgil (2015)."My tryst with the monsoon"(PDF).Indian Academy of Sciences.Retrieved11 March2021.
  15. ^ab"Visiting Research Professor".University of Goa. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  16. ^"Madhav Gadgil to file Goa's ecological history".VN. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  17. ^abcdefgh"Indian Institute of Astrophysics profile".Indian Institute of Astrophysics. 2015.Retrieved7 October2015.
  18. ^abc"Why India must protect the Western Ghats from getting lost".Hindustan Times. 2 February 2014.Retrieved7 October2015.
  19. ^"User profile".Encyclopedia of Earth. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  20. ^ab"Gadgil committee recommendations on Western Ghats ideal, practical: Experts".Times of India. 29 August 2014.Retrieved7 October2015.
  21. ^abcdefg"National Institute of Engineering profile"(PDF).National Institute of Engineering. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  22. ^A. P. Deshpande (2011).Vidnyanyatri – Dr. Madhav Gadgil.Rajhans Prakashan.ISBN9788174345516.Archived fromthe originalon 29 June 2020.Retrieved8 October2015.
  23. ^ab"Vested interests harm Western Ghats".Deccan Herald. 28 March 2014.Retrieved8 October2015.
  24. ^abc"Tyler Prize".University of Southern California. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  25. ^ab"Central University of Orissa DSc".2013.Odisha Samachar.Retrieved8 October2015.
  26. ^"People's Biodiversity Registers".Centre for Ecological Sciences. 2006.Retrieved8 October2015.
  27. ^"IAS Open Access Repository".Indian Academy of Sciences. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  28. ^ab"National Institute of Ecology profile".National Institute of Ecology. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  29. ^Madhav Gadgil, Ramachandra Guha (1992).This Fissured Land.Oxford University Press India. p. 312.ISBN9780198077442.
  30. ^Madhav Gadgil, Ramachandra Guha (1995).Ecology and Equity: The Use and Abuse of Nature in Contemporary India.Routeledge. p. 223.ISBN978-0415125246.
  31. ^Madhav Gadgil, P. R. Seshagiri Rao (1998).Nurturing Biodiversity: An Indian Agenda.Centre for Environment Education. p. 163.ISBN9788186385135.
  32. ^Madhav Gadgil (2005).Diversity: The cornerstone of life.Vigyan Prasar. p. 64.ISBN8174800263.
  33. ^Madhav Gadgil (2005).Ecological Journeys.Orient Blackswan. p. 257.ISBN9788178241128.
  34. ^"PEW Fellow".The PEW Charitable Trusts. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  35. ^"KVIFF Honours".Kirloskar Vasundhara. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.[permanent dead link‍]
  36. ^Madhav Gadgil (2006)."Ecology is for the People: A Methodology Manual for People's Biodiversity Register"(PDF).Centre for Ecological Sciences.Retrieved8 October2015.
  37. ^"CPPR Quarterly Lecture Series- Prof. Madhav Gadgil".
  38. ^"NASI Fellow".National Academy of Sciences India. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 21 October 2014.Retrieved8 October2015.
  39. ^ab"Honorary Fellow ATBC".Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  40. ^"Foreign Associate".[U.S. National Academy of Sciences. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  41. ^"Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize".Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  42. ^"Harvard Centennial Medal".Harvard University. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  43. ^"Volvo Environment Prize".The Volvo Environment Prize Foundation. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  44. ^"H K Firodia awards".H K Firodia Foundation. 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved8 October2015.
  45. ^"Georgescu-Roegen Award".The Energy and Resources Institute. 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  46. ^"Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, US scientist Jane Lubchenco share 2015 Tyler Prize".Zee News. 25 March 2015.Retrieved8 October2015.
  47. ^Manoharan, M.A., Prabhukumar, K.M., Arjun, S.K., Jose, S. and Veerankutty, S., 2021. Elaeocarpus gadgilii (Elaeocarpaceae), a new species from Western Ghats (India).Phytotaxa, 489(1), pp.87-93.

Further reading

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