Indian environmentalist, Madhav Gadgil learned from childhood to respect the rights of the most deprived sections of society.
One of the most special memories of Madhav Gadgil’s early life is accompanying his economist and politician father on a tour of a hydroelectric project in the state of Maharashtra. The area was being rapidly deforested. Madhav Gadgil’s father was often vocal against it.
Madhav Gadgil recalls, “My father said to me, ‘We need this electricity and it is very important for India to develop industries. But what should be the price in terms of environmental destruction and suffering of the local people?’
“This is why compassion for people and love for nature was ingrained in me from childhood.”
Public scientists
Such experiences shaped Gadgil’s environmental outlook. His scientific career spanned over six decades, taking him from the corridors of Harvard University to the highest echelons of the Indian government. Madhav Gadgil considers himself a “people’s scientist”.
His research has influenced policy decisions at high levels, including the protection of marginalized populations and the promotion of community conservation in ecosystems from forests to wetlands.
Madhav Gadgil authored seven books and at least 225 scientific papers during his six-decade scientific career. But his most notable work is the Gadgil Report, which calls for protecting India’s ecologically fragile Western Ghats mountain region from growing industrial threats and the climate crisis.
He was awarded the ‘Earth Champion’ award by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The UN agency’s executive director, Inger Andersen, believes that Madhav Gadgil has taken conservation efforts to new heights by showing deep respect for people and community knowledge. He has presented sustainable solutions to some of India’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Madhav Gadgil is over 80, but he still continues his efforts to save India’s most fragile ecosystems.
Land erosion and disaster
About one-third of India’s land is degraded, making local communities highly vulnerable to disasters. In 2024, over 200 people died in a major landslide tragedy in the state of Kerala, one of the worst disasters in recent years.
According to a report, anthropogenic climate change has caused landslides due to intense rainfall, as mining and deforestation have weakened the slopes. The Gadgil Report in 2011 warned of the negative impact of uncontrolled development in the region.
In the report, commissioned by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Gadgil and other scientists recommended dividing the Western Ghats region into ecologically sensitive zones and making development “eco-friendly and people-oriented”.
Although the sector is still under pressure, Madhav Gadgil believes he has helped change the direction of the debate surrounding environmental conservation and restoration efforts in India.
Gadgil said, “Communities are asserting rights over their land and natural resources. They are mobilizing, and we need to work together with them. We must move towards inclusive development and conservation.”
Immense contribution to the environment
This path is not new for Godgil. During his decades-long tenure at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), he established the Center for Environmental Sciences. Madhav Gadgil worked closely with forest dwellers, farmers and fishing communities. His efforts also include collaboration with activists and policy makers.
One of his greatest works was the establishment of India’s first Biosphere Reserve. The biosphere is the area above, below, and above Earth’s surface where life exists. In 1986 he conducted an ecological survey in three states of the Western Ghats, living among forest communities, traveling and talking to them.
Today the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in India. Gadgil’s community-led conservation and resource management has played an important role in conserving land and biodiversity, particularly in a region where habitat degradation and forest fragmentation have long been concerns.
Godgil has served as a member of various government bodies and committees, including the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Council. He was one of the main architects of India’s Biodiversity Act and was also involved in the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
Through these laws, Madhav Gadgil has helped forest communities create biodiversity registers to monitor the biodiversity of their local ecosystems. Through these registers, local communities have been able to keep track of forest products such as bamboo, fruits, fish and plants and plan their best use.
In a village in Maharashtra, local environmentalists have discovered that fish populations are declining due to the release of toxic chemicals into the river. Gadgil said many nearby villages agreed to ban these chemicals, after which the river’s biodiversity improved.
Godgil noted that some villages have used biodiversity registers to document the environmental impacts of mining and even fight the practice in court. “It is very gratifying to see positive changes taking place in so many villages,” said Gadgil
A source of inspiration for the youth
Madhav Gadgil’s extensive contribution to environmental protection has earned him India’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, as well as international honors such as the Tyler Prize and the Volvo Environment Award.
But even after so much respect and achievement, Gadgil did not stop, he kept moving forward.
Madhav Gadgil is now helping village youth to educate their community about forest rights and gain a better understanding of the ecosystem around them.
A rare land orchid was identified by local botanists in a photo posted by a boy, who was trained to photograph plants with his smartphone and identify the species, he said. He published a scientific paper on this discovery, in which the boy was included as a co-author.
Gadgil believes that advances in technology and the increase in publicly available scientific information will inspire more communities to fight for their rights. This is crucial for India, which is facing the growing impact of the climate crisis.
He said, “I am satisfied that as a scientist who is sympathetic to people, I have done something that has helped change the course of events. I am a firm optimist – and I am confident that this progress will continue to accelerate.”
Godgil said, “Communities are exercising their rights over their land and natural resources. They are organizing, and we need to work together with them. We need to move towards inclusive development and conservation.”