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K. Krithi Karanth | |
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Born | |
Education | B.S. and B.A. in Environmental Science and Geography, University of Florida; M.E.Sc in Environmental Science, Yale University;PhD Environmental Science and Policy, Duke University;Post Doctoral, Columbia University [1] |
Alma mater | Duke University, Yale University |
Occupation | Wildlife Conservation, Conservation Biology, Carnivora Biology |
Years active | 2001 to present |
Employer | Centre for Wildlife Studies, Ramanujan Fellow |
Known for | Conservation |
Parent(s) | father: K. Ullas Karanth |
Website | Dr K. Krithi Karanth, CWS |
Dr. Krithi Karanth is Chief Conservation Scientist and Director at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, Adjunct Faculty at Duke University and National Centre for Biological Sciences. [2]
Dr. Krithi K Karanth, Chief Conservation Scientist at Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), has been chosen as the first Indian and Asian woman for the 2021 ‘WILD Innovator Award’. This award given by the ‘‘WILD ELEMENTS Foundation” brings together a coalition of innovators, advocates and partners to “disrupt the status quo and identify solutions to global sustainability and conservation,”.
Krithi Karanth has a Ph.D from Duke (2008), a M.E.Sc from Yale (2003), and, B.S and B.A degrees from the University of Florida (2001). Her research in India and Asia spans 22 years encompasses many issues in human dimensions of wildlife conservation. She has conducted macro-level studies assessing patterns of species distributions and extinctions, impacts of wildlife tourism, consequences of voluntary resettlement, land use change and understanding human-wildlife interactions. She has published 100+ scientific and popular articles. Krithi served on the editorial boards of journals Conservation Biology, Conservation Letters and Frontiers in Ecology and Environment. Krithi has mentored over 150 young scientists and engaged 700 citizen science volunteers in her research and conservation projects. Her work has been covered by >150 international media such as Al Jazeera Television, BBC, Christian Science Monitor, GQ India, Harper's Bazaar, Mongabay, Monocle, National Geographic, NPR, New York Times, Scientific America, Time Magazine and Indian outlets such as All India Radio, Deccan Chronicle, Deccan Herald, Down to Earth, Kannada Prabha, LiveMint, New Indian Express, Prajavani, The Hindu, and Times of India. Krithi’s conservation and research work has been featured in 3 award-winning BBC Series - The Hunt, Big Cats and Dynasties, and documentaries by CBC and PBS. She has co-produced 3 documentaries Wild Seve, Humane Highways and Wild Shaale.
Krithi is National Geographic Society’s 10,000th grantee and 2012 Emerging Explorer. Her more than 40 awards and recognitions include World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, University of Florida’s Outstanding Young Alumnus, INK Fellow, India's Power Women by Femina, Women of the Year by Elle India, Vogue Women of the Year and Seattle Zoo’s Thrive Conservation Leadership Award. In 2019, she received the WINGS Women of Discovery Award for Conservation, GQ Man of the Year- Environmental Hero and was awarded the Rolex Award for Enterprise.
In 2021 Dr. Krithi K Karanth, Chief Conservation Scientist at Bengaluru-based Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), has been chosen as the first Indian and Asian woman for the 2021 ‘WILD Innovator Award’. This award given by the ‘‘WILD ELEMENTS Foundation” brings together a coalition of innovators, advocates and partners to “disrupt the status quo and identify solutions to global sustainability and conservation,”.
India has some of the world's most biodiverse regions. The political boundaries of India encompass a wide range of biomes–desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, as well as island archipelago. It hosts 4 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Indo-Burma region and the Sundaland. These hotspots have numerous endemic species.
K. Ullas Karanth is a conservation zoologist and a leading tiger expert based in Karnataka, India. He was the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's India Programme. He is notable for pioneering the scientific use of camera traps in population density studies of large wild mammals in India. He was a Senior Conservation Scientist with the New York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Technical Director of the WCS Tiger Conservation Program.
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area and tiger reserve as part of the Project Tiger, situated in Chikkamagaluru district, 23 km (14 mi) south of Bhadravathi city, 38 km (24 mi) 20 km from Tarikere town, northwest of Chikkamagaluru and 283 km from Bengaluru city in Karnataka state, India. Bhadra sanctuary has a wide range of flora and fauna and is a popular place for day outings. The 1,875 m (6,152 ft) above MSL Hebbe Giri is the highest peak in the sanctuary.
The Nature Conservation Foundation is a non-governmental wildlife conservation and research organisation based in Mysore, India. They promote the use of science for wildlife conservation in India.
Mysore Doreswamy Madhusudan, Ph. D., is an Indian wildlife biologist and ecologist. He is the Co-founder and Director of Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. He has worked on understanding and mitigating the effects of human-wildlife conflict in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in South India. He has also worked in several other forests in the Himalayas and North-east India. In 2004, he was one among the team of wildlife biologists who described Arunachal macaque, a new species of macaque from Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Bittu Sahgal is an environmental activist, writer, and the founder of Sanctuary Nature Foundation, an Indian nonprofit conservation organization that works on environmental policy, advocacy, science, on-ground support and habitat management. He is also the founding editor of Sanctuary Asia, a wildlife and ecology magazine.
Sandesh Kadur is an Indian wildlife film producer and conservation photographer known for his contributions to Planet Earth II. Sandesh's films have been shown on television networks including National Geographic Channel, BBC, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.
Priya Davidar is an Indian scientific researcher, a conservation biologist, scholar and an author. Currently she is working as a professor at the Pondicherry University and conducts ecological research in different regions of India. She has authored a few books, including Whispers from the Wild, co-authored with E.R.C Davidar and published by Penguin India books. She was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012. She is actively involved with the conservation of forests and wildlife. She has published about 100 papers in scientific journals.
Naresh Bedi is an Indian filmmaker, the eldest of the Bedi Brothers and a member of the second generation of three generations of Wildlife photographers and filmmakers. He is the first Asian to receive a Wildscreen Panda Award and the first Indian to receive a nomination for the British Academy Film Awards. He was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.
Vartika Brij Nath Singh is an Indian model and beauty pageant titleholder who was appointed as Miss Universe India 2019 and represented India at 68th edition of the Miss Universe pageant. She was previously crowned as Miss Grand India in 2015. The GQ magazine had ranked her among the hottest women of India in 2017.
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Rathika Ramasamy is an Indian wildlife photographer. She is based in Chennai and operates as a freelance photographer. She has received many accolades for her photographs and has been called the "first Indian woman to strike an international reputation as a wildlife photographer".
Nature inFocus is in the space of curation and dissemination of information about India's wild spaces. It aims to do this by using photography as a tool to make these conversations accessible to everyone. This portal carries articles about wildlife, conservation, eco-travel, communities, nature art, field notes, photography tips, research etc.
Uma Ramakrishnan is an Indian molecular ecologist and professor at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore. Her research investigates population genetics and evolutionary history of mammals in the Indian subcontinent, including work to save India’s tigers. In July 2019, she was elected as a fellow to the Indian National Science Academy.
Nidhi Sunil is a South Indian model, actress, and activist. Nidhi was born in Kerala and is known for her role as Samira in the Indian drama film Kaash. Nidhi is a previous recipient of Vogue India's Model of the year award, and is currently one of L’Oréal's global ambassadors.
The Women of Discovery Awards are given by the non-profit WINGS WorldQuest, in recognition of the achievements of women in science and exploration. The awards were first presented in 2003, the same year that WINGS WorldQuest was formed by Milbry Polk and Leila Hadley Luce. Both the Board of Directors and a Junior Council at the granting organization, WINGS WorldQuest, are involved in selecting the recipients of the Women of Discovery Awards, who are thereafter known as Fellows.
The WINGS Women of Discovery Awards and Fellows Program were established to celebrate the ground-breaking work of women explorers and scientists who are actively out in the field today and provide critical, unrestricted funding to support and ensure continued study.
Latika Nath is an Indian author, photographer and wildlife conservationist. Featuring her work, in 2001, she was awarded the title of 'The Tiger Princess' by National Geographic which featured her in a one-hour documentary film. She has worked since 1990 for the conservation of tigers in India. In May 2020, she was bestowed with the honorary title of "Her Daringness" by Mr Nitin Gupta in a cover story based on Latika's life and work, and featuring her work on wildlife conservation.
Aparajita Datta is an Indian wildlife ecologist who works for the Nature Conservation Foundation. Her research in the dense tropical forests of Arunachal Pradesh has successfully focused on hornbills, saving them from poachers. In 2013, she was one of eight conservationists to receive the Whitley Award.
Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala, popularly addressed by his family name Jhala, is an Indian scientist and conservationist. He is the current dean and a senior professor at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Over the past three decades, he has studied animals in tropical forest and arid ecosystems and trained a multitude of wildlife professionals across the world.
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