Aparajita Datta

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Aparajita Datta
Aparajita Datta in Namdapha 01.jpg
Datta in 2006
Born5 January 1970
Kolkata, India
Alma mater Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
Known for Hornbills
Awards Whitley Award
Scientific career
Fields Wildlife Conservation, Conservation Biology, Ecology
Institutions Nature Conservation Foundation
Aparajita Datta - Turning hunters into conservationists: Video presentation, 7 minutes
The Great Hornbill, photographed by Datta in 2015 Great Hornbill Male2.jpg
The Great Hornbill, photographed by Datta in 2015
Teacher training workshop in Arunachal Pradesh Nature Education Teacher training 02.jpg
Teacher training workshop in Arunachal Pradesh

Aparajita Datta (born 1970) is an Indian wildlife ecologist who works for the Nature Conservation Foundation. [1] 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. [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Born in Kolkata on 5 January 1970, in 1978 she moved with her family to Lusaka, Zambia, where her father worked as an accountant. Noticing her interest in nature, her teacher at the International School of Lusaka gave her special attention, inviting her to the school's zoo club. After five years in Africa, the family returned to India where, after completing high school, she studied botany at Presidency University, Kolkata. On graduating, she joined the Wildlife Institute of India where she earned a master's degree in wildlife ecology in 1993. While at the university, she met another wildlife ecology student, Charudutt Mishra, whom she married in 1999. [3]

She then embarked on a doctorate at Shaurashtra University in Rajkot, Gujarat, on India's west coast, but work on her thesis took her back to Arunachal Pradesh where she investigated the ecology of hornbills in Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary, successfully completing her PhD. In it, she revealed that hornbills are vital for the environment as they spread tree seeds from over 80 species, some relying fully on hornbills. She called hornbills "the farmers of the forest". [3]

In 2002, Datta moved to Mysuru in the Chamundi Hills where she began to work for the Nature Conservation Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society's India programme in order to investigate the effects of tribal hunting on the hornbill population. As a result of contacts with local hunters, she revealed the presence of the leaf deer and the black barking deer in India. Joining her husband Mishra and the wildlife biologist Mysore Doreswamy Madhusudan, she undertook an expedition to the heights of the Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh where after sighting a Chinese goral, they found a new species of monkey named the Arunachal macaque. [3]

Datta then embarked on the pioneering task of taking a census of wildlife in Arunachal including bears, tigers, clouded leopards and musk deer in Namdapha National Park. She also continued studying hornbills drawing on the assistance of former Lisu hunters and Nyishi tribesmen. She helped them to discontinue hunting by providing medical support, health care and kindergartens for their children. [3] Datta explained her approach: "The Lisu people are right by our side. They’ve shown and told me things I would never otherwise have known. I think wildlife biologists often forget how much we depend on the insight of local people. To me part of the wonder of this incredible place is being there with the Lisu, sharing moments in the forest with them." [4]

Datta and her team of biologists have also helped the Lisu people find alternative sources of income by developing the marketing of their handicrafts and the attractions of nature tourism in the area. [2]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyishi people</span> Largest Ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India

The Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India. The Nyishi language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, however, the origin is disputed. Their population of around 300,000 makes them the most populous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, closely followed by the tribes of the Adi according to 2001 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arunachal macaque</span> Species of Old World monkey

The Arunachal macaque is a macaque native to Eastern Himalayas of Bhutan, China and India. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf muntjac</span> Species of deer

The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac is a small species of muntjac. It was documented in 1997 by biologist Alan Rabinowitz during his field study in the isolated Nogmung Township in Myanmar. Rabinowitz discovered the species by examining the small carcass of a deer that he initially believed was the juvenile of another species; however, it proved to be the carcass of an adult female. He managed to obtain specimens, from which DNA analysis revealed a new cervid species. Local hunters knew of the species and called it the leaf deer because its body could be completely wrapped by a single large leaf. It is found in Myanmar and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great hornbill</span> Bird species

The great hornbill, also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is predominantly frugivorous, but also preys on small mammals, reptiles and birds. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2018. It is known to have lived for nearly 50 years in captivity. Due to its large size and colour, it is important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The Government of Kerala declared it as the official Kerala state bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreathed hornbill</span> Species of bird

The wreathed hornbill is an Old World tropical bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, also called bar-pouched wreathed hornbill due to its distinctive blue-black band on its lower throat sac. It is named after its characteristic long, curved bill that develops ridges, or wreaths, on the casque of the upper mandible in adults. Males are black with a rufous crown, a white upper breast and face, and a yellow featherless throat. Females are uniformly black with a blue throat and are slightly smaller than males.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-necked hornbill</span> Species of bird

The rufous-necked hornbill is a species of hornbill in Bhutan, northeastern India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is locally extinct in Nepal due to hunting and significant loss of habitat. There are less than 10,000 adults left in the wild. With a length of about 117 cm (46 in), it is among the largest Bucerotine hornbills. The underparts, neck and head are rich rufous in the male, but black in the female.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austen's brown hornbill</span> Species of bird

Austen's brown hornbill is a species of hornbill found in forests from northeastern India and south to Vietnam and northern Thailand. It is sometimes included as a subspecies of Tickell's brown hornbill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests</span> Ecoregion of India and Bhutan

The Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of Northeastern India, southern Bhutan and adjacent Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namdapha National Park</span> National park in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Namdapha National Park is a 1,985 km2 (766 sq mi) large protected area in Arunachal Pradesh of Northeast India. The park was established in 1983. With more than 1,000 floral and about 1,400 faunal species, it is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalayas. The national park harbours the northernmost lowland evergreen rainforests in the world at 27°N latitude. It also harbours extensive dipterocarp forests, comprising the northwestern parts of the Mizoram-Manipur-Kachin rain forests ecoregion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed goral</span> Species of mammal

The long-tailed goral or Amur goral is a species of ungulate of the family Bovidae found in the mountains of eastern and northern Asia, including Russia, China, and Korea. A population of this species exists in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, near the tracks of the Donghae Bukbu Line. The species is classified as endangered in South Korea, with an estimated population less than 250. It has been designated South Korean natural monument 217. In 2003, the species was reported as being present in Arunachal Pradesh, in northeast India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests</span>

The Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests is a temperate broadleaf forest ecoregion found in the middle elevations of the eastern Himalayas, including parts of Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. These forests have an outstanding richness of wildlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Protected area of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Eaglenest or Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east. Altitude ranges are extreme: from 500 metres (1,640 ft) to 3,250 metres (10,663 ft). It is a part of the Kameng Elephant Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature Conservation Foundation</span> Organisation based in Mysore, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mysore Doreswamy Madhusudan</span>

Mysore Doreswamy Madhusudan 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narcondam hornbill</span> Species of bird

The Narcondam hornbill is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is endemic to the Indian island of Narcondam in the Andamans. Males and females have a distinct plumage. The Narcondam hornbill has the smallest home range out of all the species of Asian hornbills.

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.

<i>Horsfieldia kingii</i> Species of tree

Horsfieldia kingii is a dioecious tree of the family Myristicaceae. It grows up to 20 m tall and has large seeds that are dispersed by frugivores such as hornbills and imperial pigeons. The fruiting period is from February to May. The fruit is an arillate capsule and is bi-coloured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anwaruddin Choudhury</span>

Anwaruddin Choudhury, M.A., Ph.D., D.Sc., is an Indian naturalist, noted for his expertise on the fauna of North-East India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife sanctuary in India

The Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the eight wildlife sanctuaries of Arunachal Pradesh, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dehing Patkai National Park</span> National park in Assam, India

Dehing Patkai National Park is located in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam and covers an area of 231.65 km2 (89.44 sq mi) rainforest. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 13 June 2004. On 13 December 2020 Government of Assam upgraded it into a national park. On 9 June 2021 Forest Department of Assam officially notified it as a national park. It is located in the Dehing Patkai Landscape which is a dipterocarp-dominated lowland rainforest. The rainforest stretches for more than 575 km2 (222 sq mi) in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Charaideo. The forest further spreads over in the Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. Dehing Patkai National Park harbours the largest stretch of lowland rainforests in India. Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant. Dehing-Patkai as a potential wildlife sanctuary was identified in late 1980s during a primate survey as "Upper Dehing Wildlife Sanctuary". Subsequently during a study on white-winged wood duck in early 1990s, it was discovered as a globally important site for this duck and recommended to be upgraded to "Upper Dehing National Park".

References

  1. "Dr. Aparajita Datta – Wild Shades Of Grey". Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXXV. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "A Young Indian Biologist, Aparajita Datta Honoured With the Whitley Award 2013". Jagran Josh. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ross, Michael Elsohn (2014). A World of Her Own: 24 Amazing Women Explorers and Adventurers. Chicago Review Press. pp. 99–. ISBN   978-1-61374-438-3.
  4. 1 2 "Emerging Explorer 2010: Aparajita Datta". National Geographic. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  5. "Chardutt Mishra And Aparajita". sanctuarynaturefoundation.org. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.