Events

Columbia Global Centers | Mumbai invites you to a film screening and discussion on infrastructure expansion and wildlife conservation in India.                        

Tiger reserves and other protected areas are the backbones for conserving India's ecological diversity. The protected areas are usually small and surrounded by habitats with dense human population, whereas tigers and other large-ranging species need to move between protected areas to maintain genetically healthy populations. Infrastructure is expanding rapidly throughout the country, which threatens to impede the movement of these species. Yet the expansion of roads, rails, and hydropower is considered essential for development and economic growth in India. Is it possible to reconcile these two essential objectives of infrastructural expansion and conservation? The film suggests that with careful planning and political will, the needs of wildlife and development may not necessarily in conflict with each other.

The film screening will be followed by a discussion with Dr. Ruth DeFries from Columbia University and Dr. Krithi Karanth from the Centre for Wildlife Studies. 

To register, please send an email to [email protected]

About the speakers:

Ruth DeFries is Professor of Ecology and Sustainable Development at Columbia University in New York. She uses images from satellites and field surveys to examine how the world’s demands for food and other resources are changing land use throughout the tropics. Her research quantifies how these land use changes affect climate, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, as well as human development. She was elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and is a recipient of the MacArthur Genius award. She is committed to linking science with policy, for example through her involvement with the Environmental Defense Fund, Science for Nature and People, World Wildlife Fund, and reconciling conservation and development in central India. 

Dr. Krithi K. Karanth is chief conservation scientist at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, adjunct faculty at Duke University and the National Centre for Biological Sciences and explorer with National Geographic Society. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University from 2009-2010. Her research in India, spanning 20 years, encompasses many issues in human dimensions of wildlife conservation. She has conducted macro-level studies assessing patterns of species distributions and extinctions, impacts of wildlife tourism, consequences of voluntary resettlement, land-use change, and human-wildlife interactions. Karanth’s ongoing conservation initiatives include Wild Seve which has helped more than 11,000 families file wildlife-loss compensation claims, Wild Shaale conservation education program which has reached 3000 children, examining connectivity for wildlife across India, and developing certification for wildlife-friendly coffee.