All of us at the Centre for Wildlife Studies deeply mourn the death of Dr. Madhav Gadgil. We convey our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Founder and Emeritus Director Dr. K. Ullas Karanth recalled his long association with Dr. Gadgil, beginning in 1974 at what was then the Centre for Theoretical Studies (CTS) at IISc. He said, “Madhav encouraged my interest in modern ecology and supported my early attempts to break into the profession of wildlife biology, despite my engineering background. It was at CTS, and later at CES, that I had the opportunity to first meet other pioneer ecologists and conservationists such as Prof. Michael Soulé, Dr. Salim Ali, M. Krishnan, and Saroj Raj Choudhry.

Although I later disagreed with many of his views on how wildlife conservation should advance in India, I have always admired the boldness and sweep of his ideas, as well as his forthright criticism of conservation governance systems in India, a quality that is substantially diminished among later generations of Indian conservation scientists. He was a major figure in transforming natural history into modern ecology in India. Madhav’s voice will be missed by all conservationists.”

– Dr. K. Ullas Karanth (On behalf of Dr. Krithi K. Karanth, CWS Board of Trustees, Advisory Council and Staff)