M. D. Madhusudhan
Encyclopedia
Mysore Doreswamy Madhusudan , Ph. D., is an India
n 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 a one of the team of wildlife biologists who described Arunachal Macaque
, a new species of macaque
from Arunachal Pradesh
, India.
, Dehradun
. He worked on resource use in and around forests and its impact on large mammal conservation for his PhD thesis under the guidance of Anindya Sinha
. He uncovered the links between coffee
production in Brazil
and patterns of cattle grazing and ownership in and around the forests of Bandipur. He found that the global fall in coffee prices resulted in an increased demand for cow dung
used as manure
in coffee estates in several areas in the Nilgiris
and Western Ghats
resulting in a large-scale export of dung transforming it from a locally produced and locally consumed manure for village agriculture to a high-value organic fertilizer for commercial export to coffee plantations. Following the dung export, livestock numbers in the region increased, aggravating grazing pressures on the forests. This work challenged the prevalent notion that resource use for subsistence is distinguishable from and preferable to commercial resource use in the context of protected-area management in India.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n wildlife biologist and ecologist
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. He is the Co-founder and Director of Nature Conservation Foundation
Nature Conservation Foundation
The Nature Conservation Foundation is a non-governmental wildlife conservation and research organization based in Mysore, India. They promote the use of science for wildlife conservation in India.-History:The organization was founded in 1996...
, Mysore and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
. He has worked on understanding and mitigating the effects of human-wildlife conflict in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills range of South India. The Western Ghats, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster , conjoining the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World...
in South India. He has also worked in several other forests in the Himalayas and North-east India
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
. In 2004, he was a one of the team of wildlife biologists who described Arunachal Macaque
Arunachal Macaque
The Arunachal macaque , a relatively large brown primate with a comparatively short tail, is a macaque native to Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India. Its species name comes from Munzala as it was called by the Dirang Monpa tribe...
, a new species of macaque
Macaque
The macaques constitute a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. - Description :Aside from humans , the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and, in the case of the barbary macaque, to North Africa...
from Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
, India.
Early life and work
After obtaining a basic science degree from Yuvaraja's college, Mysore, Madhusudan did his post-graduation in wildlife biology from the Wildlife Institute of IndiaWildlife Institute of India
The Wildlife Institute of India is a autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.WII carries out wildlife research in areas of study like Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Forensics, Spatial Modeling,...
, Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
. He worked on resource use in and around forests and its impact on large mammal conservation for his PhD thesis under the guidance of Anindya Sinha
Anindya Sinha
Anindya Sinha is an Indian primatologist. He is currently a professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies , India.-Early life:...
. He uncovered the links between coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
production in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and patterns of cattle grazing and ownership in and around the forests of Bandipur. He found that the global fall in coffee prices resulted in an increased demand for cow dung
Cow dung
Cow dung is the waste product of bovine animal species. These species include domestic cattle , bison , yak and water buffalo. Cow dung is the undigested residue of plant matter which has passed through the animal's gut. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals...
used as manure
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
in coffee estates in several areas in the Nilgiris
Nilgiris (mountains)
The Nilgiri , often referred to as the Nilgiri Hills, are a range of mountains with at least 24 peaks above , in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu state at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India...
and Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
resulting in a large-scale export of dung transforming it from a locally produced and locally consumed manure for village agriculture to a high-value organic fertilizer for commercial export to coffee plantations. Following the dung export, livestock numbers in the region increased, aggravating grazing pressures on the forests. This work challenged the prevalent notion that resource use for subsistence is distinguishable from and preferable to commercial resource use in the context of protected-area management in India.