Sanjay Gubbi

BANGALORE: When he set out to study his postgraduation in conservation biology at the University of Kent, U.K., a couple of years ago, wildlife conservation activist Sanjay Gubbi thought it was honour enough to enter the portals of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), which the legendary naturalist, Gerald Durrell, helped set up.

Now, he has won the Maurice Swingland Prize, 2006 at DICE, for his dissertation on "Tiger habitats & integrated conservation and development projects: a case study from Periyar Tiger Reserve, India." The Maurice Swingland Prize is set up in memory of the father of Ian Swingland, DICE's founder and a major figure in biodiversity conservation.

Mr. Gubbi's study evaluated the objectives of the World Bank-funded India Eco-Development Project (IEDP) implemented at Periyar Tiger Reserve. The main conclusion was that people living within and outside the forests were not positive about wildlife conservation objectives, and they were more preoccupied with the consequences of man-animal conflict.

Mr. Gubbi, who is back in the city to resume his assignment at the Wildlife Conservation Society (India Programme), will focus on conservation policy, outreach efforts and coordinates tiger conservation projects in the Western Ghats with tiger biologist Ullas Karanth.

This diversity exposed Mr. Gubbi to the fact that conservation paradigms change from continent to continent. "In India, conservation is something of a passion with those who make it their vocation. But in most of Africa, trophy hunting and wildlife trade are acceptable."

He did not have a very difficult time, thankfully, explaining the compulsions that drive conservation in India.

And hardly surprising that his presentation on Periyar Tiger Reserve was adjudged second best amongst 261 entries at a conference organised by the Cambridge University in March 2007.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail