Book: Twenty-five years of wildlife research and conservation in India | At The Feet Of Living Things
Edited by Aparajita Datta, Rohan Arthur, T.R. Shankar Raman
Publisher: Harper Collins | Releasing September 26
Genre: Environment and Nature | Wildlife conservation | Earth Science
Have you wondered what it is like to follow hornbills in a dense rainforest? Or felt the pain of a mountain shepherd losing his sheep to a leopard? Or how it feels when a child discovers birdwatching is more exciting than being glued to a screen? The nature conservation world is full of adventure but also complex, fraught with challenges and setbacks, made worthwhile by the privilege of studying at the feet of living things.
The book has sixteen engrossing essays from the scientists of Nature Conservation Foundation, a wildlife research and conservation organization, with each chapter beautifully illustrated.
Aparajita Datta says, ‘The stories here capture the joy and wonder of being in nature and the learning that comes from years of observation. They speak of the many hats researchers must wear and the dilemmas they face in engaging with conservation challenges.’
Rohan Arthur says, ‘Rather than focusing on Swashbuckle and glamour, our authors tell honest stories of the difficulties, doubts and setbacks that are integral to conservation research in India. What emerges, we hope, is a truthful, completely human, and still incredibly joyful picture of loving the wilds while trying to understand and protect it.’
T.R. Shankar Raman says, ‘The essays in this book encapsulate the sense of wonder and passion that drives researchers to study wildlife across India and their reflections on grappling with real-world conservation challenges.’
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Aparajita Datta is a scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation. She studies hornbills, plant-animal interactions, and human impacts on wildlife and works with local communities for conservation in the Eastern Himalayas. She has co-authored several books for children and is a field guide to the Trees of Arunachal Pradesh.
Rohan Arthur is a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation. He is interested in marine systems and has worked in coral reefs, seagrass meadows and nearshore coastal ecosystems in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.
T. R. Shankar Raman (aka Sridhar) is a writer and wildlife scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation. He is interested in the ecology and conservation of tropical forests and wildlife, especially in the Western Ghats. He is the author of The Wild Heart of India: Nature and Conservation in the City, the Country, and the Wild and co-author, with Divya Mudappa, of Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats.
