Pune: Madhav Gadgil, one of India’s most respected environmental scientists and a leading voice for ecological conservation, passed away in Pune on Tuesday. He was 83. Family sources said he died after a brief illness.
Madhav Gadgil was widely known for his lifelong commitment to protecting nature and promoting sustainable development. His work focused on conservation biology, human ecology and the relationship between people and the environment.
He is best remembered for chairing the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, set up by the central government in 2010. The panel’s report called for strong environmental safeguards in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s richest biodiversity regions. The recommendations triggered intense public debate and brought national attention to the need for balancing development with environmental protection.
Gadgil also played a key role in building India’s environmental research institutions. He was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and served on several national scientific advisory bodies, including the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.
Throughout his career, he strongly supported community based conservation, arguing that local people should be active partners in protecting forests, rivers and wildlife. His ideas influenced generations of researchers, policymakers and environmental activists.
Born in Pune in 1942, Gadgil studied in India before earning his doctorate from Harvard University. He received several national and international honours, including the Padma Bhushan and the United Nations Champions of the Earth award, in recognition of his contribution to environmental science.
Tributes poured in from across the country, with many describing his death as a major loss to India’s environmental movement. Colleagues and students remembered him as a principled scientist, a clear thinker and a tireless advocate for nature.