Profile
I am a conservation biologist with an affinity for crocodilians and rivers. My work has largely focused on understanding the conservation needs of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in North-Central India, particularly along the Chambal, Son and Gandak Rivers. I am also interested in human-wildlife interactions, conservation philosophy, policy, and the human impacts on wildlife and ecosystems.
I’ve been interested in wildlife and wild places ever since I can remember, and my first chance at being able to work with wildlife came immediately after high school. I opted out of formal education and spent the next three or so years as a wildlife rescue-and-rehabilitation volunteer, and monitoring wildlife crime — the pet trade, wild meat, performance animals, quackery and ritual hunting. An accident forced me back into higher secondary school which, luckily, was The Valley School — a wooded campus adjacent to a Reserved Forest. I completed my graduation through open-university whilst still staying involved with conservation-related work, and a M.Sc. in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, soon after, helped pursue a career in conservation biology.
Associations
Wildlife Conservation Trust, India | Lead: Programme Makara | Biologist: Otter–Hydrology Project |
Crocodile Specialist Group. International Union for Conservation of Nature – Species Survival Commission (IUCN – SSC) | Member |
Researchers for Wildlife Conservation, India | Trustee |
Society for Conservation Biology, USA | Member |
National Tri-State Chambal Sanctuary Management and Coordination Committee. Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt of India | Member |
Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh Forest Department | Member, Management Plan Expert Group |
Publications
2021
Characterising groundwater-surface water connectivity in the lower Gandak catchment, a barrage regulated biodiversity hotspot in the mid-Gangetic basin. Journal of Hydrology. 594: 125923. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125923 | Daniel J. Lapworth, Brighid Ó Dochartaigh, Tarun Nair, Jimmy O' Keeffe, Gopal Krishan, Alan M. MacDonald, Mohsneen Khan, Nachiket Kelkar, Sunil K. Choudhary, Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Christopher R. Jackson | [Link] [Copy]
Gharial Library. URL: https://sites.google.com/view/gharial-library/about | Tarun Nair | [Link]
High elevation records for mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in India: Comment on Rathore et al. (2021). Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter. 40(3): 21-22. | Tarun Nair, Colin Stevenson | [Link] [Copy]
2020
Efficient Reservoir Management through Deep Reinforcement Learning. AI for Earth Sciences Workshop. NeurIPS 2020: Thirty-fourth Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems. | Xinrun Wang, Tarun Nair, Haoyang Li, Yuh Sheng Reuben Wong, Nachiket Kelkar, Srinivas Vaidyanathan, Rajat Nayak, Bo An, Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Milind Tambe | [NeurIPS] [ArXiv] [Copy]
Isolating the impacts of anthropogenic water use within the hydrological regime of north India. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 45(5): 1217–1228. doi: 10.1002/esp.4799 | Jimmy O'Keeffe, Simon Moulds, Johanna M. Scheidegger, Christopher R. Jackson, Tarun Nair, Ana Mijic | [Link] [Copy]
2019
Relicts in the River: Short Survey for Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in the Kosi River, India. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter. 38(4): 11–14. | Tarun Nair, Subhasis Dey, Suresh Prasad Gupta | [Link] [Copy]
Marsh crocodiles of Karkatgarh: Survey Report and Conservation Plan for Marsh Crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in the Karkatgarh area of Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar. Submission to Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Bihar | Tarun Nair, Girish Varma | [Copy]
Crocodile conservation needs no straw men. The Wire. April 17, 2019 | Tarun Nair | [Link] [Full version]
2018
Saltwater Crocodiles in the Andaman and Nicobar Have a PR Problem. The Wire. August 14, 2018 | Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
Banas River: hydrological vulnerabilities and restoration opportunities. Citizen's Report on Ganga Rejuvenation. India Rivers Week, 2018 | Tarun Nair
2017
Of Government, God and Gharial: The Ecological Pogrom in Chambal’s Badlands. The Wire. January 10, 2017 | Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
Moving from requiem to revival: India’s rivers and riverine ecosystems. Transcending boundaries: Reflecting on twenty years of action and research at ATREE. Bangalore: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment: p. 94–103 | Jagdish Krishnaswamy, Manish Kumar, Nachiket Kelkar, Tarun Nair, Vidyadhar Atkore | [Link] [Copy]
2016
Estimation of ecological flows in the Son Gharial Sanctuary (Son River, Madhya Pradesh) with a focus on gharials Gavialis gangeticus. FES, Anand and ATREE, Bangalore | Tarun Nair, Ravi Chellam, Jagdish Krishnaswamy | [Copy]
2015
2014
Mayawati and other river monsters: in search of gharials in the Ken River. Sanctuary Asia. 34(6): 64–67 | Tarun Nair, Suyash Katdare | [Copy]
Human-Crocodile Conflict in South Asia and Iran. Crocodiles (Proceedings - 23rd Working Meeting - IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group). 209–226 | Colin Stevenson, Anslem de Silva, Raju Vyas, Tarun Nair, Asghar Mobaraki, Abdul Aleem Chaudhry | [Link] [Copy]
Generic Tri-State Management Plan, National Chambal Sanctuary. National Tri-State Chambal Sanctuary Management and Co-ordination Committee. Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India | BC Choudhury, Parikshit Gautam, Tarun Nair | [Copy]
2013
Dry-season assessment of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in the Betwa, Ken and Son Rivers, India. Crocodiles (Proceedings - 22nd Working Meeting - IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group). 53–65 | Tarun Nair, Suyash Katdare | [Link] [Copy]
Update on gharial mortalities in National Chambal Sanctuary, late 2012-early 2013. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter. 32(3): 5–7 | Tarun Nair, Sujoy Banerjee, Vincent Rahim | [Link] [Copy]
Equality in Conservation: Comment on Bawa et al. 2011. Conservation Biology. 27: 422–424. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12030 | Meghna Krishnadas, Tarun Nair, Divya Karnad | [Link] [Copy]
Budgeting for Nature. Economic Growth and Ecosystem Conservation in India. Economic & Political Weekly. 48(25): 22–26 | Divya Karnad, Meghna Krishnadas, Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
The conflict of human-wildlife coexistence: a response to Carter et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1215758110 | Varun Goswami, Divya Vasudev, Divya Karnad, Y. Chaitanya Krishna, Meghna Krishnadas, Milind Pariwakam, Tarun Nair, Anish Andheria, Sachin Sridhara, Imran Siddiqui | [Link] [Copy]
Vertebrate fauna of the Chambal River Basin, with emphasis on the National Chambal Sanctuary. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 5(2): 3620–3641. doi: 10.11609/JoTT.o3238.3620-41 | Tarun Nair, Y. Chaitanya Krishna | [Link] [Copy]
2012
Rigorous gharial population estimation in the Chambal: implications for conservation and management of a globally threatened crocodilian. Journal of Applied Ecology. 49: 1046–1054. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02189.x | Tarun Nair, John B. Thorbjarnarson, Patrick Aust, Jagdish Krishnaswamy | [Link] [Copy]
Identifying individual Gharials to estimate population size, and determinants of habitat use in the Chambal River, India. Crocodiles (Proceedings - 21st Working Meeting - IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group). 115–123 | Tarun Nair, John B. Thorbjarnarson, Patrick Aust, Jagdish Krishnaswamy | [Link] [Copy]
Gharial hatchlings in the Yamuna. Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter. 31(4): 17 | Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
River dolphin distribution in regulated river systems: implications for dry-season flow regimes in the Gangetic basin. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 22: 11–25. doi: 10.1002/aqc.1240 | Sunil Choudhary, Sushant Dey, Subhasis Dey, Viveksheel Sagar, Tarun Nair, Nachiket Kelkar | [Link] [Copy]
The Gharial Information Database | Tarun Nair, Y. Chaitanya Krishna, Shakti Sritharan | [Link]
The Chambal Information Database | Tarun Nair, Y. Chaitanya Krishna, Shakti Sritharan | [Link]
Let’s wake up lest Ganga go the Saraswati way. The Hindu. August 19, 2012 | Y. Chaitanya Krishna, Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
2011
Of dams, dacoits and death – The saga of the Chambal gharials. Sanctuary Asia. June (2011): 60–62 | Tarun Nair | [Copy]
India to launch a brave new initiative to save the Critically Endangered Gharial. SPECIES – Magazine of the Species Survival Commission. 53(Jan–Jun): 21 | Tarun Nair | [Link] [Copy]
2010
Events
2021
School in Aquatic Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Mar 01–10, 2021. Turtle Survival Alliance-India, Virtual Sessions | Resource Person: Day 6
2020
India Rivers Week. India Rivers Forum. Nov 12, 2020. | Panelist: West Regional Dialogue + Presentation: Ecological impacts of River Sand Mining on Freshwater Ecosystems
THE NATURALIST online talk series. Nov 07, 2020. Vindhyan Ecology & Natural History Foundation | Speaker: Ep. 7, Understanding Gharials
School in Aquatic Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Feb 24–29, 2020. Turtle Survival Alliance-India, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, India | Resource Person
2019
Moving Waters Film Festival. Oct 19–20, 2019. Bangalore, India | Organizer
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Oct 15–18, 2019. Bangalore, India | Workshop Resource Person: Art of Making Conservation Work
Water Future Conference. Sep 24–27, 2019. Bangalore, India | Participant
2018
India Rivers Week. WWF-India Secretariat. Nov 24–26, 2018. New Delhi, India | Participant & Panelist + Presentation: Hydrological vulnerabilities and restoration opportunities in the Banas Basin
Moving Waters Film Festival. Sep 22–23, 2018. Bangalore, India | Organizer
Ganga and its Biodiversity: Developing a Road Map for Habitat and Species Conservation. May 22, 2018. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India), New Delhi, India | Participant + Speaker: Lessons from gharial conservation and research initiatives in the Ganga and its tributaries
School in Aquatic Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Mar 26–30, 2018. Turtle Survival Alliance-India and Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, National Chambal Sanctuary, India | Resource Person
2017
Moving Waters Film Festival. Oct 14–15, 2017. Bangalore, India | Organizer
International Biogeography Society. Sep 26–28, 2017. Bangalore, India | Poster presentation: Riverine turtles in the Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra (IGB) basin: interactions between river hydrology and species traits | Anuja Mital, Tarun Nair, Nachiket Kelkar
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Sep 21–24, 2017. Bangalore, India | Workshop Resource Person: Conducting Social Research for Conservation Planning
2nd Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) workshop on Connectivity Across the Landscape: Strategies to meet needs for Infrastructure and Wildlife in India. May 08–11, 2017. Nagarhole, India | Participant
Rufford India Conference – Fostering Grass-roots Conservation in India. Apr 23–26, 2017. Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India | Participant + Presentation: Promoting Gharial Conservation through Communication, Education and Public Awareness
Workshop on South Asian River Dolphins: Ecology and Conservation. Mar 17–21, 2017, Kahalgaon & Bhagalpur, Bihar, India | Participant & Resource Person
3rd Indian Freshwater Turtle and Tortoise Strategic Conservation Action Planning and Red List Assessment Workshop. Feb 16–18, 2017, New Delhi, India | Participant
2016
India Rivers Week. WWF-India Secretariat. Nov 28–30, 2016. New Delhi, India | Participant
Moving Waters Film Festival. Sep 17–18, 2016. Bangalore, India | Organizer
Technical Workshop for Developing a Management Plan for the Conservation of Freshwater Habitats and Species in Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. Jul 22, 2016. WWF-India and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. Meerut. Uttar Pradesh, India | Participant + Presentation: Key lessons from National Chambal Sanctuary Management Plan
Expert Consultation Workshop on the Assessment of Ecosystem Services of Aghanashini Estuary. Apr 19, 2016. AV Baliga College, Kumta, Karnataka, India | Participant
Field Hydrology and Basic Data Analysis. Training Workshop for Water Resources Department, Meghalaya. Feb 22–24, 2016. Shillong, Meghalaya | Resource Person
2015
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Sep 08–11, 2015. Bangalore, India | Workshop Resource Person: Social and Ecological Dimensions of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation
National Consultation Workshop On Human-Wildlife Conflict. Biodiversity Conservation and Rural Livelihood Improvement Project. Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. May 18–19, 2015. New Delhi, India | Participant + Presentation: Human-crocodile conflict
Consultation Workshop on Gharial Reintroduction. WWF-India and Department of Forests & Wildlife Preservation, Punjab. Mar 10–12, 2015. Harike Wildlife Sanctuary, Punjab | Participant
2014
An Introduction to Field Hydrology. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning (FERAL), and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). Nov 10–14, 2014. Puducherry, India | Participant
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Sep 25–28, 2014, Bangalore, India | Workshop Resource Person: Social and Ecological Dimensions of Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation
2013
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Sep 25–28, 2013. Bangalore, India | Workshop Resource Person: Freshwater Conservation Biology - Concepts and Techniques
World Crocodile Conference: 22nd Working Meeting of IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. May 20–23, 2013. Negombo, Sri Lanka | Participant + Presentation: Status assessment of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in the Betwa and Ken Rivers, India
National Green Tribunal: Orientation Workshop. Nature Conservation Foundation and EIA Resource and Response Center. Jun 06, 2013, Bangalore, India | Participant
2012
21st Working Meeting of IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. May 22–25, 2012. Manila, Philippines | Participant + Presentation: Identifying individual gharials to estimate population size, and determinants of habitat use in the Chambal River, India
Philippine Crocodile Conservation: Symposium. May 18, 2012. Ilagan, Philippines | Participant
Introduction to Distance Sampling Workshop. Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling. Mar 26–28, 2012. University of St. Andrews, Scotland | Participant
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Mar 20–22, 2012. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Participant + Presentation: Identifying individual gharials to estimate population size and habitat use
Building Capacities for Conservation Planning — Introductory Workshop on GIS and Remote Sensing using Open Source Software. Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning. Jan 2–6, 2012. Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India | Participant
2011
25th International Congress for Conservation Biology. Society for Conservation Biology. Dec 5–9, 2011. Auckland, New Zealand | Participant + Presentation: Ecological & Anthropogenic Covariates Influencing Gharial Distribution & Habitat Use, And the Feasibility of Photo-Identification for Population Estimation
Student Conference on Conservation Science. Sep 14–16, 2011. Bangalore, India | Participant + Presentation: The feasibility of estimating gharial populations through photographic capture-recapture; and factors determining their distribution and abundance in the Chambal
Understanding and Resolving Water Conflicts in India: Training Workshop. Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India. Jul 18–22, 2011. Satapada, Odisha, India | Participant + Presentation: Parching the Chambal River Basin — unrelenting irrigation schemes wring the unique Chambal dry
2005
Making Conservation Work: Attempting Solutions to Biodiversity Loss in India. Council for Social Development. Mar 11–12, 2005. New Delhi, India | Participant
Experience
2015 – 2021 | Senior Research Associate: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & Environment, Bangalore, India.
2019/07–10 | Co-instructor: Elective Course in Freshwater Ecology & Conservation. Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology & Conservation, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India.
2017/08–10 | Co-instructor: Elective Course in Freshwater Ecology & Conservation. Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology & Conservation, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India.
2015/08–09 | Co-instructor: Elective Course in Freshwater Ecology & Conservation. Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology & Conservation, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India.
2014 – 2015 | Researcher: Estimation of ecological flows in Son Gharial Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh with a focus on gharials. Foundation for Ecological Security, India.
2013 – 2014 | Principal Investigator: Assessment of conservation status of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in the Yamuna-Ganga drainage, India; and public-awareness and forest-staff training programmes in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
2012 – 2014 | Executive Officer: Gharial Conservation Alliance, India.
2010 – 2012 | Project Coordinator: Gharial Conservation Alliance, India.
2010 – 2012 | Assistant Curator: Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Tamil Nadu, India.
2009/04–05 | Intern: Line-Transect Surveys in Anshi-Dandeli Tiger Reserve. Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, India.
2008/03–05 | Tracker: King-Cobra Radio-Telemetry Project. Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Karnataka, India.
2006 – 2008 | Field Assistant: Community Based Approaches in mitigation of Human-Crocodile Conflict in India. Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.
2006 – 2008 | Resource Person: Newspaper in Education. The Hindu / Prism Educational Resource Centre. Bangalore, India.
2004 – 2005 | Land Management & Teacher Trainee: The Valley School, Bangalore. Krishnamurti Foundation India.
2004 – 2005 | Research Assistant: Bio-diversity documentation in the reserve forests around Kaundinya Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh. Kaigal Environment and Education Programme, Krishnamurthi Foundation India.
1999 – 2010 | Wildlife Rescue-and-Rehabilitation, and Wildlife Crime Monitoring (pet trade, wild meat, performance animals, quackery, ritual hunting).
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Contact: tarunnair1982(at)gmail.com