Sanjay Gubbi is a conservation biologist based in Karnataka, India.[1][2] His work focuses on the conservation of large carnivores like tigers and leopards, working on applied aspects and understanding their population biology, proposing conservation policies for their protection, and working to minimize human-wildlife conflict.[3][4][5] He currently works as a scientist with Nature Conservation Foundation, a Mysore based NGO.[6]
In 2011, Gubbi received the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award and was recognized by the Wildlife Conservation Society.[7] He was also on the ‘25 Leaders of Tomorrow’ list released by Times of India in August 2012 on the eve of India’s 65th year of independence. In 2017 he was conferred with the Whitley Award, popularly called the Green Oscars for his contribution towards the landscape-scale conservation of tigers and other wildlife.[8][9][10][11][12] In 2019 he was awarded The Co-Existence Award by the Elephant Family, UK for his work on wildlife conservation in India, which was presented by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.[13]
Some of his most notable work, along with his team, includes working with the government to expand protected areas in Karnataka that has helped protect several wildlife species and habitats.[14][15] To date, Gubbi has succeeded in adding nearly 3,000 km2 (~745,000 acres) of forested land to the protected area network. This expansion of protected areas in Karnataka has connected 23 protected areas and corridors in the Western Ghats, perhaps marking this as a first of its kind initiative after the 1970s when most protected areas were notified in the country.
Based on his proposal and work new protected areas including Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (906 sq.km.), Bukkapatna Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary[16][17][18] (148 sq.km.) and Rangayyanadurga Wildlife Sanctuary[19] (77 sq.km.) among others were notified by the government.[20]
Gubbi has also worked with the government on initiatives to reduce the effects of fragmentation on tiger habitats including the closure of vehicular traffic at night in Nagarahole and Bandipur Tiger Reserves, rerouting highways to outside the tiger reserves,[21] providing alternative roads, stoppage and removal of ill-planned developmental projects from key wildlife habitats,[22][23] and other similar activities. His work also includes educating & improving social security measures for the frontline staff of the forest department and those affected by human-wildlife conflict.
He is the author of the book titled Second Nature: Saving Tiger Landscapes in the Twenty-First Century which has been hailed as a must-read guide for future conservationists.[24] His books in Kannada include Shaalege Banda Chirate Mattu Itara Kathegalu[25][26] and Vanyajeevigala Jaadu Hididu[27]
Personal life and education
Born to Navarathna and Sreyamsha Kumar N.B. in Pavagada on February 4, 1971, Tumkur district in Karnataka, Gubbi's interest in wildlife started at a young age. Tumkur district is covered in dry scrub forests and is home to animals such as leopards, sloth bears, wolves, blackbucks, chinkara (Indian gazelle) and many others. This environment built a natural interest in Gubbi to consider conservation as a full-time career.
Gubbi completed his PhD in Leopard Ecology and Conservation in 2020 from Kuvempu University, Karnataka.
Early career
Gubbi initially worked as a volunteer for wildlife conservation for nearly a decade before taking it up as a full-time profession in 1998.
He started his full-time career with the Wildlife Conservation Society- India Program before joining Nature Conservation Foundation in 2011 where he now leads a team, to work on large carnivore science and conservation, community-based conservation activities, conservation outreach and human-wildlife conflict in Karnataka. In the past, he has served as a member of the Karnataka State Wildlife Board and other wildlife panels of Karnataka.
He works closely with a wide cross-section of people in the society including policymakers, media personnel, local communities, and social leaders to conserve big cat habitats in the state. Gubbi seeks to combine scientific research with social, cultural and political understanding of wildlife conservation. Along with his team, he also conducts training workshops for print and electronic media, elected representatives and conservation enthusiasts to expand support for conservation.
Currently, his ongoing research focusses on leopards in India and involves population estimation, occupancy surveys, diet studies, and human-leopard conflict. His other initiatives include understanding the impact of highways and roads on wildlife,[28] conservation of forest corridors,[29] providing alternatives for firewood to local communities in and around forests[30][31] and conducting outreach programmes aimed at improving awareness on wildlife conservation and mitigating human-wildlife conflict.
Other work
Sanjay Gubbi has worked with the government to delineate eco-sensitive zones around protected areas and tiger reserves in Karnataka. Bandipur was the first tiger reserve in the country to receive the final notification of an eco-sensitive zone due to the collaborative work done with the local elected representatives and forest officials.
He also helped reduce the fragmentation effects of unsustainable mining in Kudremukh National Park and energy projects in critical corridors in the Western Ghats.
As part of the outreach initiatives, Sanjay Gubbi’s efforts led to the establishment of the Holematthi Nature Information Center near Hanur, Kollegal district in Karnataka which regularly hosts student groups from local schools as part of wildlife-awareness programmes.[32][33] The Nature Information Center also conducts workshops for trainees and frontline staff of the Forest Department, teachers, and media personnel.
Publications
Gubbi has authored several scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals. He has also authored two books on wildlife in Kannada, two in English, and one bi-lingual book.
Research articles
• Kolekar, A., Hockings, K., Metcalfe, K. & Gubbi, S. (2024) Identifying priority areas for the Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) within a shared landscape. Ecology & Evolution. 14(10) doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70404
• Pattekar, S., Gubbi, S., Struebig, M. J., & Benson, J. F. (2024) Response of dholes to prey availability and human disturbance in space and time in southern India. Biological Conservation. 297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110750
•Gubbi, S., Menon, A., Suthar, S., Prabhu, K. & Poornesha, H.C. (2023) Home range estimate of sloth bear using non-invasive camera-trap data. Ursus, 2023, (34e7), 1–6. doi:https://doi.org/10.2192/URSU-D-22-00004
• Gubbi, S., Prabhu, K., Suthar, S., Poornesha H.C., & Deschamps, J. (2023) Quantifying the threat of wire snares using camera trapping data in India. Biological Conservation. 286, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110303
• Suthar, S., Chawla, M. M., Poornesha H. C., & Gubbi, S. (2023) A camera-trap record of a brown Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica from Karnataka state, southern India. Small Carnivore Conservation. 61, e61003.
• Gubbi, S. (2022) Many facets of afforestation (tree planting) and climate change. Current Science. 122(9), 1007-1008.
Gubbi, S., Kolekar, A., & Kumara, V. (2021) Quantifying Wire Snares as a Threat to Leopards in Karnataka, India. Tropical Conservation Science. 14, 19400829211023264
Snider, M.H., Athreya, V.R., Balme, G.A., Bidner, L.R., Farhadinia, M.S., Fattebert, J., Gompper, M.E., Gubbi, S., Hunter, L.T.B., Isbell, L.A., Macdonald, D.W., Odden, M., Owen, C.R., Slotow, R., Spalton, J.A., Stein, A.B., Steyn, V., Vanak, A.T., Weise, F.J., Wilmers, C.C., Kays, R. (2021) Home range variation in leopards living across the human density gradient. Journal of Mammalogy. 102 (4), 1138–1148. doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyab068
Gubbi, S., Ramesh, S., Menon, A.M., Girish, M.N., Poornesha, H.C. (2020) The lone wolf: new distribution update of the Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) in southern India. Canid Biology & Conservation. 22(6), 21-24. URL: http://www.canids.org/CBC/22/Indian_grey_wolf_distribution.pdf.
Gubbi, S., Sharma, K., & Kumara, V. (2020) Every hill has its leopard: Patterns of space use by leopards (Panthera pardus) in a mixed use landscape in India. PeerJ. 8:e10072 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10072
Gubbi, S., Kolekar, A., & Kumara, V. (2020) Policy to on-ground action: Evaluating a conflict policy guideline for leopards in India. Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy. 23, 127-140. doi: 10.1080/13880292.2020.1818428
Suthar, S., Menon, A., & Gubbi, S. (2020) An extension of known range of Brown Mongoose Urva fuscus from Southern India. Small Carnivore Conservation. 58, e58007
Gubbi, S., Kolekar, A., Chakraborty, P., & Kumar, V. (2020) Big cat in well: an unconventional threat to leopards in southern India. Oryx. doi:10.1017/S0030605319000280
Gubbi, S., Seshadri, S., Harish, N. S., Chandra, S. K. (2019) Counting the unmarked: Estimating animal population using count data. Electronic Journal of Applied Statistical Analysis. 12, 604-613, doi: 10.1285/i20705948v12n3p604
Khawaja, H. et al. (2019) Pangolins in global camera trap data: implications for ecological monitoring. Global Ecology & Conservation. 20, doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00769
Puyravaud, J.P., Gubbi, S., Poornesha, H.C., Davidar, P. (2019) Deforestation increases frequency of incidents with elephants (Elephas maximus). Tropical Conservation Science. 12, 1-11, doi.org/10.1177/1940082919865959
Gubbi, S., Nagashettihalli, H., Kolekar, A., Poornesha, H. C., Reddy, V., Mumtaz, J., & Madhusudan, M. D. (2017) From intent to action: a case study for the expansion of tiger conservation from southern India. Global Ecology & Conservation. 9, 11-20.
Lingaraja, S. S., Chowdhary, S., Bhat, R., & Gubbi, S. (2017) Evaluating a survey landscape for tiger abundance in the confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats. Current Science. 113, 1759 - 1763.
Gubbi, S., Mukherjee. K, Swaminath. M.H., and Poornesha. H.C. (2016) Providing more protected space for tigers in the Western Ghats, southern India. Oryx. 50, 336 – 343.
Gubbi, S., and Poornesha H.C. (2015) Finding the middle road: grounded approaches to mitigate highway impacts in tiger reserves in Handbook of Road Ecology: A practitioner’s guide to impacts and mitigation. Eds. van der Ree. R, Smith, D. J., and Grilo. C, John Wiley & Sons, Oxford, UK. 317-321.
Madhusudan, M. D., Sharma, N., Raghunath, R., Baskaran, N., Bipin, C.M., Gubbi, S., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Kulkarni, J., Kumara, H.N., Mehta, P., Pillay, R., & Sukumar, R. (2015) Distribution, relative abundance, and conservation status of a globally significant Asian elephant population in Karnataka, southern India. Biological Conservation.187, 34-40.
Mondol. S, Sridhar, V., Yadav, P., Gubbi, S., Ramakrishnan, U. (2014) Tracing the geographic origin of traded leopard body parts in the Indian subcontinent. Conservation Biology. 29(6), 556-564.
Gubbi, S., Reddy, V., Nagashettihalli, H. and Bhat, R. (2014) Photographic record of the Ratel Mellivora capensis from the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Small Carnivore Conservation. 50, 42-44.
Gubbi, S., Poornesha, H. C., Daithota, A. and Nagashettihalli, H. (2014) Roads emerging as a critical threat to leopards in India? CatNews. 60, 30-31.
Gubbi, S., Swaminath, M.H., Poornesha, H.C., Bhat. R and Raghunath. R. (2014) An elephantine challenge: human-elephant conflict distribution in the largest Asian elephant population, southern India. Biodiversity and Conservation. 23(3), 633-647.
Gubbi, S., and Poornesha, H.C. (2013). Joint Indian initiative creates tiger corridor. Nature. 500, 29.
Harihar. A, Chanchani. P, Subedie. N, Sharma R.K., Vattekaven. J, Gubbi. S, Pandav. B and Noon. B, (2013) Conflating “co-occurrence” with “coexistence”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. 110(8), E109.
Gubbi, S. (2012) Patterns and correlates of human-elephant conflict around an Indian reserve. Biological Conservation. 148(1), 88-95.
Gubbi, S. and Linkie, M. (2012) Characterising wildlife hunting patterns in India: A case study from Periyar Tiger Reserve. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. 109(3), 165-172.
Gubbi, S., Poornesha, H.C. and Madhusudhan, M.D. (2012). Impact of vehicular traffic on the use of highway-edges by large mammals in a south Indian wildlife reserve. Current Science. 102(7), 1047-1051.
Gubbi, S. (2010) Making governance effective. Seminar. 613, 61-65.
Gubbi, S. (2010) Are conservation funds degrading wildlife habitats? Economic and Political Weekly. XLV (26&27), 22-25.
Gubbi, S., Kumar. R and Akarsha B.M. (2009) Two new records of distribution of four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. 105(3), 187-189.
Gubbi, S., Linkie. M and Leader-Williams, N. (2009) Evaluating the legacy of an integrated conservation and development project around a tiger reserve in India. Environmental Conservation. 35(4), 331-339.
Gubbi, S. and MacMillan. D.C. (2008) Can non-timber forest products solve livelihood problems? A case study from Periyar Tiger Reserve, India. Oryx. 42(2), 222-228.
The Biligirirangana Hills or Biligirirangan Hills is a hill range situated in Chamarajanagar District in south-western Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu in South India. The area is called Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Being close to the Eastern Ghats as well as the Western Ghats, the sanctuary has floral and faunal associations with both regions. The site was declared a tiger reserve in January 2011 by the Government of Karnataka, a few months after approval from India's National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The Khathiar–Gir dry deciduous forests is a mostly arid ecoregion in northwestern India that stretches over 103,100 sq mi (267,000 km2) across Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The dry deciduous forests in the region are dominated by teak, and thorny trees and scrub in drier areas.
The chinkara, also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mudumalai National Park is a national park in the Nilgiri Mountains in Tamil Nadu in southern India. It covers 321 km2 (124 sq mi) at an elevation range of 850–1,250 m (2,790–4,100 ft) in the Nilgiri District and shares boundaries with the states of Karnataka and Kerala. A part of this area has been protected since 1940. The national park has been part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve since 1986 and was declared a tiger reserve together with a buffer zone of 367.59 km2 (141.93 sq mi) in 2007. It receives an annual rainfall of about 1,420 mm (56 in) and harbours tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests with 498 plant species, at least 266 bird species, 18 carnivore and 10 herbivore species. It is drained by the Moyar River and several tributaries, which harbour 38 fish species.
Sanjay National Park is a national park in Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district of Chhattisgarh and Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, India. It covers an area of 2,300 km2 (890 sq mi) and is a part of the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. It is located in the Narmada Valley dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
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 Indian leopard is a subspecies of the leopard widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. It is threatened by illegal trade of skins and body parts, and persecution due to human-leopard conflict and retaliation for livestock depredation.
Mukundara Hills National Park is a national park in Rajasthan, India with an area of 759.99 km2 (293.43 sq mi). It was established in 2004 and consists of three wildlife sanctuaries: Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, National Chambal Sanctuary, and Jawahar Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located in the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests.
Private protected areas of India refer to protected areas inside India whose land rights are owned by an individual or a corporation / organization, and where the habitat and resident species are offered some kind of protection from exploitative activities like hunting, logging, etc. The Government of India did not provide any legal or physical protection to such entities, but in an important amendment introduced by the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002, has agreed to protect communally owned areas of ecological value.
The state of Karnataka in South India has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It has a recorded forest area of 38,720 km2 which constitutes 55% of the geographical area of the state. These forests support 25% of the elephant population and 20% of the tiger population of India. Many regions of Karnataka are still unexplored and new species of flora and fauna are still found. The mountains of the Western Ghats in the western region of Karnataka are a biodiversity hotspot. Two sub-clusters of the Western Ghats, Talacauvery and Kudremukh, are on a tentative list of sites that could be designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks which fall outside these subclusters were included in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in 1986, a UNESCO designation. In the Biligiriranga Hills the Eastern Ghats meet the Western Ghats. The state bird and state animal of Karnataka are Indian roller and the Indian elephant. The state tree and state flower are sandalwood and lotus. Karnataka is home to 524 tigers.
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.
Pakke Tiger Reserve, is a Project Tiger reserve in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. The 862 km2 (333 sq mi) reserve is protected by the Department of Environment and Forest of Arunachal Pradesh. It was known as Pakhui Tiger Reserve, but renamed in April 2001 by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. It has won India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of 'Conservation of threatened species' for its Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme.
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is a protected area and tiger reserve located along the area straddling both the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats in the Erode district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Sathyamangalam Forest Division is part of the Bramhagiri-Nilgiris-Eastern Ghats Elephant Reserve notified in 2003. In 2008, part of the Sathyamangalam Forest Division was declared a wildlife sanctuary, which was further enlarged in 2011 to cover a forest area of 1,411.6 km2 (545.0 sq mi). It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. In 2013, an area of 1,408.6 km2 (543.9 sq mi) of the erstwhile sanctuary was notified as a tiger reserve and it was the fourth tiger reserve established in the state as a part of Project Tiger.
The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Ramanagar districts of Karnataka, India. The Cauvery River passes through its midst. An area of 510.52 km2 (197.11 sq mi) was established as Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on 14 January 1987 under Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 with the objective of providing protection, conservation and development of Wildlife and its environment. The sanctuary was expanded to its current area of 102,753 hectares in 2013. On its east, it adjoins Dharmapuri forest division of Tamil Nadu state.
Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary or Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected Wildlife sanctuary in the Eastern Ghats and is located in the state of Karnataka in India. It is named after the presiding deity "Lord Male Mahadeshwara" of the famed Male Mahadeshwara Hills Temple located within the sanctuary. The sanctuary lies in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is at a distance of 140 km (87 mi) from Mysuru and 210 km (130 mi) from Bengaluru.
Mysore-Ooty Road or Mysore-Udhagamandalam Road is a tourist trail of South India starting from Mysore in Karnataka state and ending in Udhagamandalam in Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu state, India. Both routes pass through Bandipur National park in Gundlupet, Karnataka and Mudumalai National Park in Tamil Nadu.
Kheoni is a wildlife sanctuary located in Kannod Tehsil of Dewas district and parts of the Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh. It is spread over 132 square kilometers. It is connected to Ratapani Tiger Reserve through corridors. The dry deciduous forest consists of teak, tendu and bamboo.
In February 2019, major forest fires broke out in numerous places across the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka state in India. The National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carried out an assessment of the total area affected by the fire. On 25 February 2019, it estimated the extent of burnt area to be about 10,920 acres in the last five days from 21 February 2019.
Sethuram Gopalrao Neginhal was an Indian forest official and conservationist who is credited with generating the green cover around the Indian city of Bangalore leading to the city being referred to as The Garden City. He was associated with the launch of Project Tiger and led wildlife conservation actions including development of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. In addition to being an expert on wildlife and plant life he was an awarded wildlife photographer.
Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary is the name given to the protected forests on both sides of the Painganga River which divides Yavatmal district and Nanded district, Maharashtra, India. The Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary was established on January 1, 1996. It covers an area of about 325 sq. km. in the Pusad forest, in which teak is the main tree. Supervision and direct control is in the hands of the sub-conservator (wildlife) Pandharkavada, reporting to the Government of Maharashtra.
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