RENOWNED Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, widely known for his work on the conservation of the Western Ghats, died in Pune after a brief illness, family sources said on Thursday (8). He was 83.
Gadgil died late on Wednesday (7) night at a hospital in Pune, the sources said.
He was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), often referred to as the Gadgil Commission.
In 2024, the United Nations awarded Gadgil the Champions of the Earth award, its highest environmental honour, for his work on the Western Ghats, which is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot.
In 2010, he was appointed chair of the government-constituted Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel to assess the impact of population pressure, climate change and development activities on the region.
The panel’s report recommended that large parts of the Western Ghats be declared ecologically sensitive areas. The findings led to wide public debate and policy discussions.
Born in Pune on May 24, 1942, Gadgil was the son of economist Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, a former director of the Gokhale Institute.
He completed his undergraduate studies in biology at Fergusson College in 1963 and earned a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Mumbai in 1965. He later completed a PhD at Harvard University in 1969, focusing on ecology and animal behaviour.
Gadgil returned to India in 1971 and joined IISc in 1973. During his time there, he helped establish the Centre for Ecological Sciences and the Centre for Theoretical Studies.
He retired from IISc in 2004 and continued academic work with the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune and the University of Goa.
Gadgil also served on several national bodies, including the Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister, the National Advisory Council and the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
He wrote extensively on environmental issues and authored or co-authored books such as This Fissured Land and Ecology and Equity. He also contributed columns in English and Marathi to promote public awareness of ecological issues.
His honours included India's top civilian awards - the Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2006), and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Volvo Environment Prize and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
(PTI)
