The BhuSampada Centre
National Institute of Advanced Studies
Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, India
invites you to a lecture in memory of Prof Madhav Gadgil
on
"Forestry, Diversity, and (Eco-)Development: Madhav Gadgil’s Ecosystem of Ideas"
by
Prof Sharachchandra Lele, Distinguished Fellow in Environment Policy and Governance Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology ATREE, Bengaluru
Chairperson : Prof Carol Upadhya Honorary Visiting Professor, School of Social Sciences, NIAS @: carol.upadhya@nias.res.in
Abstract: To say that the passing of Madhav Gadgil leaves a gigantic hole in the Indian environmental firmament is to state the obvious. Many obituaries and events have highlighted his enormous contributions to population ecology, biodiversity conservation, and above all the integration of people and ecology. This lecture seeks to engage in depth with some of his ideas and key contributions. I begin with a sketch of the evolution of his ideas at the people-ecology interface, an evolution that Ram Guha has described as ‘sociobiology to social ecology’, and then focus on three key contributions: his critique of ‘scientific forestry’, the idea of ‘people’s biodiversity registers’, and the concepts of ‘eco-development’ and ‘decentralized governance’ as they emerged and evolved. Engaging with them, unpacking their nuances and adapting them to the contemporary context, will help us carry Madhav’s legacy forward.
About the speaker: Sharachchandra (Sharad) Lele was a student at IIT Bombay when he first heard Madhav Gadgil talk about dams and the environment in 1983, and asked him for a way to switch from engineering to environmental studies. This led to Sharad to come to IISc Bengaluru for his Masters, becoming the first student to register for courses in ecology and environmental science in the newly formed Centre for Ecological Sciences, and eventually being hosted by Madhav for his field work towards a PhD at UC Berkeley. Sharad then went on his journey into an interdisciplinary engagement with forest governance, water resource management and environmentalism. Prof Lele is currently Distinguished Fellow in Environment Policy and Governance at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, and an Honorary Professor at Shiv Nadar University Delhi.
Youtube link for live streaming: https://youtube.com/live/_AxMHc_CeM0?feature=share