Divya Mudappa

Scientist, Western Ghats

My primary research interests is in tropical ecology, particularly rainforests and applied ecological subjects such as restoration ecology and conservation biology. I have continuing academic interests in the fields of plant-animal interactions (particularly frugivory and seed dispersal) and animal behaviour.

Hornbills and small carnivores are the animal groups I study and specialize in. I studied the Malabar Grey Hornbill for my Master's dissertation (Salim Ali School of Ecology, Pondicherry University), followed by other studies on hornbills, including nearly a decade of nest monitoring, distribution and abundance surveys along the Western Ghats, and effects of rainforest fragmentation on hornbills. My doctoral thesis (Bharathiar University, Coimbatore) was on the ecology and conservation of the endemic and nocturnal brown palm civet, a frugivorous small carnivore in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats.

The broad goal and long-term plan of my research activities is to improve the scientific understanding of the patterns and processes in tropical ecosystems and to use this knowledge for implementation of conservation programmes that would benefit both wildlife and local communities.

Projects

Publications

Tea plantation with native shade trees in the Anamalai Hills

Dataset

2021

Data from: Native shade trees aid bird conservation in tea plantations in southern India

Tea plantation with native shade trees in the Anamalai Hills

Journal Article

2021

Native shade trees aid bird conservation in tea plantations in southern India

Great Hornbill female in flight

Journal Article

2021

Hornbill abundance and breeding incidence in relation to habitat modification and fig fruit availability

Male Malabar Grey Hornbill

Dataset

2021

Data from: Hornbill abundance and breeding incidence in relation to habitat modification and fig fruit availability

Seed fates of four rainforest tree species in the fragmented forests of Anamalais in the southern Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2021

Seed fates of four rainforest tree species in the fragmented forests of Anamalais in the southern Western Ghats, India

Male Malabar Grey Hornbill

Journal Article

2020

Forest cover and fruit crop size differentially influence frugivory of select rainforest tree species in Western Ghats, India

Population assessment of the Endangered Nilgiri tahr Nilgiritragus hylocrius in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, using the double-observer survey method

Journal Article

2020

Population assessment of the Endangered Nilgiri tahr Nilgiritragus hylocrius in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, using the double-observer survey method

Data from: Effects of restoration on tree communities and carbon storage in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India

Dataset

2019

Data from: Effects of restoration on tree communities and carbon storage in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India

Restored rainforest fragment surrounded by tea plantations

Journal Article

2019

Effects of restoration on tree communities and carbon storage in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India

Great Hornbill female in flight

Journal Article

2018

Breeding biology of Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis in tropical rainforest and human-modified plantation landscape in Western Ghats, India

Seasonal variation in wildlife roadkills in plantations and tropical rainforest in the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2018

Seasonal variation in wildlife roadkills in plantations and tropical rainforest in the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India



Population assessment of the Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) using
the Double-observer Survey method in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Report

2018

Population assessment of the Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) using the Double-observer Survey method in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Understanding perceptions of people towards lion-tailed macaques in a 
fragmented landscape of the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2018

Understanding perceptions of people towards lion-tailed macaques in a fragmented landscape of the Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats, India

Herpetofaunal survey in rainforest remnants of the Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2018

Herpetofaunal survey in rainforest remnants of the Western Ghats, India

Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats

Book

2018

Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats

Dataset

2017

Data from: Successional status, seed dispersal mode and overstorey species influence tree regeneration in tropical rain-forest fragments in Western Ghats, India

Successional status, seed dispersal mode and overstorey species influence tree regeneration in tropical rain-forest fragments in Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2017

Successional status, seed dispersal mode and overstorey species influence tree regeneration in tropical rain-forest fragments in Western Ghats, India

Journal Article

2017

Bats in the Ghats: Agricultural intensification reduces functional diversity and increases trait filtering in a biodiversity hotspot in India

Report

2016

Awareness and coexistence measures to conserve endangered lion-tailed macaques in the Valparai landscape, Western Ghats.

Popular Article

2016

Rātriñcaranmār [In Malayalam: Night rangers, article on small carnivores].

Popular Article

2016

Hornbills: the feathered foresters.

Journal Article

2016

Range extension of the endangered Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat Latidens salimalii (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in the Anamalai Hills, Tamil Nadu, India.

Popular Article

2015

Restoring the fabric

Popular Article

2014

How green is your tea?

Book Chapter

2014

Restoring nature: wildlife conservation in landscapes fragmented by plantation crops in India.

Popular Article

2011

Rhythms of renewal

Rainforest canopy

Book

2010

Rainforest restoration: a guide to principles and practice

Popular Article

2010

Coffee, conservation, and Rainforest Alliance certification: opportunities for Indian coffee

Journal Article

2010

Asian elephant Elephas maximus habitat use and ranging in fragmented rainforest and plantations in the Anamalai hills, India

Dataset

2009

Data from: A conservation status survey of hornbills (Bucerotidae) in the Western Ghats, India.

Dataset

2009

Western Ghats Hornbill Survey

Dataset

2009

Data from: Brewing trouble: coffee invasion in relation to edges and forest structure in tropical rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India. Biological Invasions

Report

2004

The elephant hills: conservation of wild Asian elephants in a landscape of fragmented rainforests and plantations in the Anamalais, India

Journal Article

2003

Bridging the gap: sharing responsibility for ecological restoration and wildlife conservation on private lands in the Western Ghats