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.