
DR. RAMESH K.
Wildlife Institute of India (Government of India), Dehradun
& Adjunct Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver (Canada)
E-mail: ramesh@wii.gov.in
Brief Bio
I obtained BSc degree in Zoology (1993) and MSc in Wildlife Biology (1995) from Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu (India) with Gold Medal in both the courses. I joined Wildlife Institute of India (WII) as a Research Fellow in 1995 and was awarded PhD degree in the year 2003 for the thesis on “Spatial and Ecological Distribution of Pheasants in the Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh”. Subsequently, I worked with World Pheasant Association, UK as a Post-Doctoral Fellow from 2004 to 2008. I joined the position of Scientist at WII in 2008, with responsibilities in Wildlife Biology and Application of Remote Sensing and GIS tools in wildlife research and management.
My professional interests include Landscape Ecology, Conservation of Mammals and Birds; Landscape Dynamic Modeling including Climate and Anthropogenic Effects, Conflict Resolution Mechanisms; Conservation Breeding and Reintroduction; Integration of Advance Technologies in Wildlife Research and Management, such as GPS/Satellite Telemetry, Wireless Sensor Applications and Un-manned Aircraft (Drone).Over the years, I have carried out research and conservation projectson birds and mammals in the Western Himalaya (Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand), Shivalik-Terai Landscape (Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar), the Central India on Tiger Recovery and Monitoring (Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra) and has just initiated movement ecology and landscape management project in the Western Ghats (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala). These knowledge and expertise have resulted in around 50 research publicationsincluding in high impact factor journals and 60 presentations in National and International Conferences/Symposia, including IUCN World Conservation Congress and Landscape Ecology World Congress. Creating new generation of leaders and professionals with rational approach and enabling landscape management strategies ensuring sustainable conservation of natural resources and human wellbeing areamongst my key professional and personal goals. In this context, I have been supporting young students/researchers and supervised several Masters Dissertations and PhD theses, including from foreign universities, and focusing on landscape management issues.
I am member of various academic and conservation organizations including IUCN/Species Survival Commission (Reintroduction and Galliformes Specialist Groups) and World Commission on Protected Areas (Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group). I am also the country (India) representative of Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Asia Pacific Chapter and have also recently founded the Indian Regional Association for Landscape Ecology, as country chapter of International Association for Landscape Ecology. I also received the prestigious Distinguished Foreign Scholar Award by the US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology and NASA-MSU Professional Enhancement Award by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Michigan State University, USA.