Demise of Ecologist Madhav Gadgil (1942–2026)

IN NEWS: Demise of Ecologist Madhav Gadgil (1942–2026)

Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil passed away on January 7, 2026.
He is best known for his pioneering work on the ecological significance of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s global biodiversity hotspots.
He headed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), popularly known as the Gadgil Committee, which recommended classifying the Western Ghats into zones of high, medium, and low ecological sensitivity to regulate development activities.
Gadgil strongly advocated community-centric conservation, viewing humans as integral components of ecosystems rather than external threats.
In 2024, the United Nations honoured him with the Champions of the Earth Award, the UN’s highest environmental recognition, for his lifelong contribution to environmental protection and sustainable development.
He was closely associated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and played a key role in establishing the Centre for Ecological Sciences, strengthening India’s ecological research ecosystem.
His memoir, A Walk Up The Hill: Living with People and Nature, documents India’s environmental struggles, policy debates, and conservation outcomes.

Western Ghats: A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s eight “hottest hotspots” of biological diversity.
Gadgil Committee (2011):
- Proposed decentralised, participatory environmental governance.
- Emphasised sustainable livelihoods alongside ecological protection.
- Faced resistance due to perceived constraints on development, especially in Western Ghats states.
Environmental Governance in India: Gadgil’s work highlights the tension between conservation imperatives and developmental pressures, a recurring theme in Indian environmental policymaking.

Updated – 08 January 2026 ; 07:32 PM IST | News Source: The Hindu