QNAS QNAS QnAs with Madhav Gadgil Prashant Nair Science Writer must also seriously understand theory to be- come a well-rounded scientist. During the 1960s, the field of theoretical population bi- ology was emerging, and at Harvard E. O. ’ Madhav Gadgil s enchantment with the outspokenadvocatefortheenvironment, Wilson was among its leaders. I joined his Western Ghats, a nearly 1,600-kilometer-long Gadgil has combined a background in ecol- former student Bill Bossert, an applied math- ’ chain of lush mountains that tracks India s ogy with his belletristic talents in numerous ematician, and worked on applying ideas in west coast across six states, began during scholarly tomes and popular writings. For optimal resource allocation theory to ecolog- childhood, in the late 1940s. Smitten with his efforts, Gadgil was awarded the 2015 ical phenomena. — the serene beauty of the landscape riotous Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement PNAS: How did you become involved evergreen forests, ambling Asian elephants, (tylerprize.usc.edu/), which he shares with in conservation and development in the grazing Nilgiri tahrs, hamlets hugging hill- Jane Lubchenco, a former administrator of Western Ghats? — sides Gadgil took inspiration from his fa- the United States National Oceanic and At- Gadgil: When I returned to India in 1971 ther, an avid outdoorsman who helped forge mospheric Administration. PNAS spoke to after six years at Harvard, I wanted to apply ’ his son s early resolve to study ecology. Small Gadgil to commemorate the honor. scientific methodology to ecology, an ap- wonder, then, that Gadgil, now an ecologist PNAS: You studied biology in India before proach then actively espoused at Harvard. at the Indian Institute of Science and a for- earning a doctorate in mathematical ecology My focus was on nature conservation and eign associate of the National Academy of at Harvard University. Were you always in- sustainable use of biological resources. I ex- Sciences, has devoted his life to the preserva- terested in the environment? amined the Indian wildlife sanctuary and ’ tion of the Ghats, counted among the world s Gadgil: I was born amid the hills of the national parks system and quickly came to top eight biodiversity hotspots and home to Western Ghats. My father was an economist the conclusion that there was a dearth of hundreds of imperiled plants and animals. but was very interested in nature conserva- empirical evidence to support the choice of His efforts to help strike a sustainable bal- tion. He was a member of the Bombay Nat- areas designated as natural reserves, as well ance between economic development and ural History Society and a friend of the Indian as poor understanding of the social, eco- nature conservation have vaulted him to ornithologist, Salim Ali, and the British evo- nomic, and political contexts for the man- ’ the forefront of India s environmental pol- lutionarybiologist,J.B.S.Haldane.SoIwas agement of such reserves. icymaking. Most recently, Gadgil chaired exposed to their work from an early age. In Also, at the time there was debate among an expert panel that has come to be called high school I decided I wanted to become an scientists about optimal approaches for pro- “ ” the Gadgil Committee, which advises the ecologist and did field research on fish pop- tecting biodiversity, either as large reserves or government on ways to promote development ulations as an undergraduate. When I joined as small zones. Scattered throughout the in the Ghats while protecting its denizens. An Harvard as a graduate student, I realized I Western Ghats, which is one of the world’s largest repositories of wild relatives of culti- vated plants, there were patches of forest that were not a part of wildlife sanctuaries or nat- ural parks. But the patches had been pro- tected by locals on the belief that they were sacred. These sacred groves provided social access to unspoiled spits of nature to people in the vicinity; this perspective was largely missing from debates in the literature. I did a study for the government of India to de- termine what kind of UNESCO [United Na- tions Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization] -designated biosphere reserves might be established on the Ghats. I applied ideas developed by Jared Diamond and others to the design of nature reserves on the Ghats, and the effort resulted in the country’s first major reserve in the Nilgiri hills straddling three states. PNAS: What was the overall mandate of the “Gadgil Committee”? Gadgil: At the Indian Institute of Science [in Bangalore], I established the Center for Madhav Gadgil. Image courtesy of Steve Cohn Photography. Ecological Sciences during the 1980s as part www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1508817112 PNAS | June 16, 2015 | vol. 112 | no. 24 | 7341–7342 Downloaded by guest on October 2, 2021 name a couple of changes wrought by the Act’spassage? Gadgil: The Act provides for gram pan- chayats, the local governing bodies, to es- tablish biodiversity management com- mittees on their own. In a tribal district in the state of Maharashtra, the village of Mendha Lekha, for example, set up such a committee, undertook a study of fishing practices in the Khatani River, and found a link between the use of toxic chemicals for fishing and declining fish populations in the river. So the committee got several villages along the riverbank to ban the use of toxic chemicals—synthetic or natural— for fishing. This ban has now been in force for almost a decade and has led to an im- provement in the river’s biodiversity. Backed by the Forest Rights Act, the same village manages hundreds of hectares of community forest resource and is allowed to use the nontimber forest produce. The A slice of the Western Ghats. Image courtesy of Pixabay/sarangib. village has also independently designated a portion of this area as a strict nature re- of a government mandate to study the ecology conservation-related decisions in biodiversity serve. These are encouraging examples of of the Western Ghats. In 2010, I was asked to hotspots. Why? empowerment of local communities. chair the Western Ghats panel to determine Gadgil: There are three major reasons why PNAS: In the past the prize has gone to the level of ecological sensitivity in various local communities have a significant advan- Jane Goodall, E. O. Wilson, and Jared Dia- parts of the Ghats and to suggest ways to rec- tage in ecosystem management. First, there is mond, among others. How does it feel to join oncile conservation and development goals. the issue of motivation; the health of an eco- their ranks? The panel’s objective and pointed assessment system is most important to the people living Gadgil: E. O. Wilson was my guru at in it. Second, it is the locals who often have Harvard. I was inspired by him, especially wasmadepublicin2012andhassincestirred substantial knowledge of what is happening by his work on island biogeography. And considerable debate. I was in fact quite sur- in the field. Finally, we have a constitutional when I was a lecturer at Harvard, I spent a prised that there has been so much public in- framework—the 73rd and 74th amendments wonderful two weeks on a field trip in the terest in what the panel had to say. One of my for democratic devolution, for example [In- Catskills with Jared Diamond; we have majorgoalsinthedaystocomeistoreachout dia’s parliamentary measures for local self- since kept in touch and share an interest to people at the grassroots and help them un- governance]—that would allow local people in history. I have not met Jane Goodall but derstand the panel’sfindings,therelevantis- to effectively manage their environments, if was present when she addressed a large sues, and people’s constitutional rights. the framework is properly implemented. gathering at Harvard, and I have long ad- PNAS: Youhavelongarguedthatlocal PNAS: Youwereoneofthearchitectsof mired her work. It is a great privilege to be communities must play a prominent role in India’s Biodiversity Act of 2002. Can you in the company of such people. 7342 | www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1508817112 Nair Downloaded by guest on October 2, 2021.