Madhav Gadgil’s lasting legacy in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

Why in News?

• Madhav Gadgilone of India’s most influential ecologists, recently passed away.
• Renewed national attention for:
  • Its fundamental role in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR).
  • His philosophy of human-oriented conservation at landscape level.
• Relevance to contemporary debates on:
  • Conservation of Western Ghats.
  • Community participation versus top-down environmental regulation.
  • Sustainable livelihoods in regions rich in biodiversity.

Relevance

GS I (Geography and Environment)

• Western Ghats as a hotspot for global biodiversity.
• Biosphere reserves and landscape ecology.

GS III (Environment & Ecology)

• Conservation models: people-oriented versus exclusive.
• Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs).
• Coexistence between people and nature and conservation on a corridor basis.

Who was Madhav Gadgil?

• Pioneer of ecological science and conservation biology in India.
• Founder of the Center for Ecological Sciences (CES) bee Indian Institute of ScienceBengaluru.
• Architect of participatory environmental management in India.
• Chairman of the Expert Panel on Ecology of Western Ghats (WGEEP).

Contribution to the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

1. Conceptualization of India’s first biosphere reserve

• Author of the NBR concept document.
• Enabled indication of NBR if:
  • Indias first biosphere reserve.
  • Part of UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB).
• Integrated nature conservation with human use instead of exclusive protection.

2. Approach to conservation at the landscape level

• We have moved beyond fragmented, species-specific protection.
• Emphasized:
  • Ecological connectivity between forests, grasslands and human settlements.
  • Keep track landscape and regional scale.
• Insight came from:
  • Field studies on Asian elephantsemphasizing the need for conservation on a corridor basis.

3. Human-centered conservation philosophy

• Advocated:
  • Local communities like stakeholders, not threats.
  • Protection from livelihoods dependent on biodiversity.
• Rejected fort-style preservation.
• Influenced later debates on:
  • Eco-sensitive zones.
  • Community forest rights.

Institutional and academic heritage

1. Building ecological institutions

• CES founded at IISc as:
  • India’s premier research center for ecology.
  • A cradle for interdisciplinary ecological science.
• Generations of ecologists, conservationists and policy thinkers have been trained.

2. Western Ghats Network Program

• Connected:
  • Universities and researchers from From Gujarat to Tamil Nadu.
• Made one pan-Western Ghats research ecosystem.
• Democratized ecological knowledge across all regions and institutions.

Policy impact beyond the Nilgiris

Expert Panel on Ecology of Western Ghats (WGEEP)

• Chaired by Gadgil.
• Recommended:
  • Zoning of Western Ghats into Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs).
  • Decentralized, participatory decision-making.
• Although politically controversial, it is:
  • Set the intellectual benchmark for the future governance of the Western Ghats.

Why Gadgil’s legacy is important today?

• Climate change, habitat fragmentation and pressure on infrastructure are increasing in the Western Ghats.
• Gadgil’s framework provides:
  • A scientifically substantiated yet socially just conservation model.
  • An alternative to purely technocratic or exclusionary approaches.
• His work underlines that:
  • The long-term success of nature conservation depends on it local legitimacy and ecological realism.

Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve

• India’s first biosphere reserve (declared in 1986); part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme.
• Located on the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in the Western Ghats.
• Covers various ecosystems: tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, shola-grassland complexes.
• Conservation model at landscape level integrating forests, wildlife habitats and human settlements.