Scientist, High Altitudes
Ph.D. Ecology and Conservation, NCF & Manipal University M.Sc. Wildlife Biology and Conservation, NCBS & WCS-India B.Sc. Zoology, Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad
My primary interest is wildlife conservation through robust applied scientific research informing management and policy. As part of the High Altitude program I am involved in multiple conservation projects that work directly with local communities in helping coexistence between people and wildlife. I am also involved in research projects that aim to better our understanding of the high-altitude alpine ecology and the interactions between ecology and society. My formal training includes a PhD in wildlife biology and conservation where my research focused on identifying the causes of livestock predation by snow leopards and finding ways to minimize it through management of wild herbivore and livestock populations. I also examined the perceptions and attitudes of local herders to find ways of minimizing the persecution of the snow leopard. I used population ecology to develop an understanding of the interactions between large carnivores, their wild ungulate prey and livestock.