Akhil Sivadas’ Post

#LSINJ #32ndWebinar #ConservationOfBiodiversity #GloballyLocatedMembers   The 32nd LSINJ Webinar was presented last Saturday December 2nd 2023 by SVP/Dean/Professor (Emeritus) Hafiz S. Yahya, PhD. Title: 'Conservation of Biodiversity at the Periyar Tiger Reserve of India.'  Attendees: Board Members from 3 continents were in attendance for at least some period of the ~ 2-hour long webinar. The recording link:   https://lnkd.in/eVqiv3ks    BioPic for Prof. Yaha:   https://lnkd.in/ejPM5NPB   Professor Yahya received his Doctorate in Ornithology specializing in Indian Barbets. However, as is inevitable, he has become committed to conservation, the environment ecological diversity and evolution. He has worked extensively working with birds, habitats, flora and fauna on 4 continents while specializing on the Indian subcontinent.   His passion and expertise as a Naturalist, were clearly articulated with the many technical and scientific details that he shared about his personal experiences in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, with Barbets, the Envronment and History associated with conservation on the subcontinent.   In his own words: ‘Two species of barbets are endemic to Western Ghats and they occur in the PTR. In this presentation besides describing their ecology and general habits, I will also highlight salient features of their feeding and breeding biology including food items, feeding cycle, food preference, feeding competition, pair formation, nest site selection, nest excavation, egg laying, incubation period, percentage of attentiveness during incubation, nest feeding, nest cleaning and overall breeding success. I will also discuss how these two sympatric and congeneric species are able to survive successfully. Doing so in the same habitat by adopting the mechanism of ecological isolation. An essential lesson that humankind often fails to appreciate, with the consequence of several global conflicts and wars.’   It was generally accepted that Prof. Hafiz Shaeque Yahya had given us an exceptional overview of all these dimensions of conservation, the challenges faced by it with special reference to the ‘Periyar Tiger Reserve of India’ and Barbets of India.

“House Of Owls” A house of our own is a special place. A house is where we live, rest, stay, and eat, and it is a special place where we look forward to coming back. As we all know, most bird species make their nests. Well, Owls are an exception to this. Many owl species nests in tree cavities which are made by woodpeckers, barbets, or in the tree hollows formed due to the decaying branch of a tree. Many owls re-use their nests year after year and especially the nests which have yielded successful juveniles are very useful for the owls. Our research has indicated that cavity-bearing trees are a precious resource for many birds, mammals, and reptiles as they use them for nesting, resting, storing food, and even as a refuge from predators. However, very often trees having cavities or hollows are cut by people as it may appear to be a dead tree. But this is not to be done as such trees offer very valuable resources to the owls. Our short film is a big step in furthering information on protecting cavity-bearing trees in the forests. Next time you are in the forests, look out for such hollows, snags, and cavity-bearing trees and see for yourself how alive it is with life forms! We hope you will enjoy this episode and share it widely in your network. We thank Raptor Research and Conservation Foundation (RRCF), Mumbai for their long-term support for our Owl Ecology Research Program. We acknowledge Madhya Pradesh Biodiversity Board, Maharashtra Forest Department, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Melghat Tiger Reserve, and MoEFCC for their support of our research. #nature #owls #owlstagram #owlsofinstagram #owlconservation #owllover #myloveforowls #ornithology #ornithologist #ornithologyresearch #ornithologyphotographs #owlresearcher #owlspirit #birdsofindia #owlsoftheday #raptorconservation #birdsofinstagram #birdstagram #birdsofindiansubcontinent #madhyapradeshforestdepartment #moefcc #rrcf #maharashtraforestdepartment #biodiversity #research #conservation

I am pleased to be part of the article: The Changing Ecology of a High Himalayan Valley: Challenges to the Sustainable Development of the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Eastern Nepal which has been published in Sustainability Journal with an IF of 3.9. #sustainability #ecology #kanchenjunga #conservationarea #himalayas #mountain #roaddevelopment #cryosphere #cryospherechange #sustainabledevelopment

Dr Pascual López López will be a keynote speaker at the European Vulture Conference 🦅 His talk, “Conservation challenges and opportunities for migratory vultures: a movement ecology perspective,” will share his latest research findings on #EgyptianVultures from three different collaborative studies.  The study of #movementecology is vital in #wildlifeconservation. It offers essential information about behaviour, habitat use, and migration patterns. Understanding the threats they face during #migration, mortality rates, and routes is fundamental to acting on threat mitigation and ensuring species' long-term survival. Adequate protection thus requires extensive collaboration among #researchers, #conservationists, and decision-makers. Working together is key to vulture survival! Read more about Dr. Pascual Lopéz López's research and join us at the European Vulture Conference, where you can directly hear from him and other experts in the field! #EVC2023 #vultures2023 #LIFEAegypiusReturn https://lnkd.in/dfRS73Wd

Scientists discover why Cuckoos’ clocks can’t adjust to climate change #rewilding #nature #wildlife #biodiversity #ecology #environment #habitats #conservation #birds #climatechange https://lnkd.in/dDHZTjNG

Do come and listen to the 'Story of Mangar Village' this evening at our community space! Mangar is a historical village on the Delhi-Haryana border known for real estate and mining for decades, but now for restoration and conservation. Learn about the conservation journey of Mangar in this talk by #CoexistenceFellows Nitesh and Sunil. We have partnered with the Coexistence Consortium for the 'Coexistence: The Great Elephant Migration' project. #Biodiversity is one of our main areas of interest and we are proactively looking to engage in this topic. The Coexistence exhibition is in line with the Triggered by Motion exhibits that can currently be seen at the Science Gallery Bengaluru as part of the ‘Carbon’ initiative. About the Speakers: Sunil Harsana, a homegrown conservationist from Mangar Bani, has dedicated over 10 years of his life to protect the rich biodiversity of the National Capital Region (NCR)-Aravallis area, which is home to the region's last surviving natural forest. His dedicated passion to conserving the Aravallis has revealed to us the evidence of a palaeolithic age civilisation. Nitesh Kaushik is a conservationist who has a Master's degree in Biodiversity and Conservation. Since completing her dissertation, she has been working in and exploring the Aravalli region of southern Haryana. Her main interest is to understand how humans and natural world interact with each other. Sunil and Nitesh are working in the Aravallis of southern Haryana, an important leopard corridor, between the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, and the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Delhi. Their project focusses on understanding leopard ecology and enhancing human-leopard coexistence in the area. For updates on locations, talks, other events and lots more, visit: https://lnkd.in/dJs3qz6v For details about the talks happening at our community space, visit: https://lnkd.in/gJ9jMexh In partnership with: The Real Elephant Collective, Karnataka Forest Department, Elephant Family, Asar, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Biodiversity Collaborative, Goethe Institut Indien, Dakshin Foundation , Infosys Prize, INKtalks, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Jhatkaa.org, JUNGLE LODGES AND RESORTS LIMITED, Metastring Foundation, Nature inFocus Media Pvt. Ltd., National Centre for Biological Sciences, Network for Conserving Central India (NCCI), Rainmatter Foundation, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Science Gallery Bengaluru, TDU, The Shola Trust, Wildlife Conservation Society-India, WWF, University of Zurich Manish Machaiah, Radha Rangarajan, Mateo Diettes, Lena Robra, Ravi Chellam #HumanWildlifeCoexistence #coexistence #elephants #wildlife #TheGreatElephantMigration #LantanaElephants #bengaluru #nammabengaluru #ElephantsInBengaluru #lalbagh #bengaluruhaselephants #AsianElephants #AsianWildlife #IndianElephants #indianwildlife #ruralindia #mangar #village #talks #events

Excited to share a fascinating discovery in the field of ecology - a map of Kasama District showcasing Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)! GPP is a key indicator of ecosystem health and productivity, and this map provides valuable insights into the distribution of plant growth and photosynthetic activity in the region. Understanding GPP can help us better manage and conserve natural resources, and I look forward to exploring the implications of this data for sustainable development in Kasama District. #GrossPrimaryProductivity #Ecology #SustainableDevelopment #KasamaDistrict #EcosystemHealth 🌿🗺️

Have you ever seen a rhino ray? Rhino rays are closely related to sharks, and are composed of different families like guitarfish, wedgefish and sawfish. Unfortunately, they are under high risk of extinction due to overfishing. Our new study looked into the ecology and conservation of rhino rays in Goa. As these species are very poorly studied, we drew on local ecological knowledge of fishing communities to understand their habitat ecology. We also explored attitudes and perceptions of fishers towards these species and their conservation. Swipe to read about our study and key findings! Thanks to Mongabay India and Ashvita Anand for covering our research. You can find the article and the open access paper here: 1. Article: https://lnkd.in/eTUi6xzX 2. Research Paper: https://lnkd.in/ePKypwSV The paper is authored by Trisha Gupta, E.J. Milner-Gulland, Andrew Dias and Divya Karnad. #conservationoptimism #guitarfish #wedgefish #sawfish #shark #rhinoray #conservation #goa #fisheries #localknowledge

A bit of what else we do at the Citywide Group. Amid the ongoing skills and labour shortages affecting the #arboriculture industry - which, in turn, have a significant impact on public tree management programs nationwide and internationally - tree planting is core to local and state government strategies to expand urban forests and #natureincities programs. #arboristsdontgrowontrees #arboricultureaustralia #jobsinarboriculture Arboriculture Australia Ltd Arboriculture Australia Ltd TREENET Incorporated Queensland Arboricultural Association Inc. Victorian Tree Industry Organisation (VTIO) Council Arboriculture Victoria (CAV) Inc. Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria Nursery & Garden Industry NSW & ACT