WCT’s very own Dr. Nachiket Kelkar has been honoured with the NDTV True Legend – Future of Young India (Environment) Award for 2022! He currently heads WCT’s Riverine Ecosystems And Livelihoods (REAL) Programme.
Courtesy: Dr. Nachiket Kelkar
Kelkar, along with his team, has been working to study and conserve the endangered Ganges river dolphin, other threatened riverine biodiversity, and secure fisheries-dependent livelihoods in the Gangetic plains of Bihar. Their work is contributing to developing a model that focuses on coexistence between wildlife and people in riverine ecosystems. Along with addressing critical science and policy gaps on the issues of co-management of riverine wildlife and fisheries, Kelkar and his team are building the capacity of the forest departments, students, and researchers in this space.
Dr. Kelkar and his team while conducting the survey of the Mahananda River. Photo credit: Soumen Bakshi
Kelkar is a Member of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group, and in the past has also served as a co-convenor of the International Whaling Commission’s Task Team on South Asian river dolphins.
Dr. Nachiket Kelkar interacting with villagers in Bihar. Photo credit: Subhasis Dey
WCT’s REAL programme seeks to examine the ways in which the objectives of fisheries and wildlife management in India’s Gangetic plains and Central India can be interwoven, specifically in areas where fishing activity and endangered freshwater species overlap. This programme also studies the conflicts over fishing rights in and around terrestrial and riverine or wetland protected areas.
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Related Links
- Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods Programme
- Fossil Folklore
- Denying Future Generations a Future
- Sleepwalking into a Ghastly Future
- River Animals and River People: For a Shared Future
- Does The Ganga Waterway Need An Environmental Clearance?