Renowned Indian Ecologist Madhav Gadgil Dies At 83

Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil, one of India’s most respected ecologists and environmental thinkers, died on 7 January 2026 in Pune. He was 83.

Gadgil was best known as the head of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, widely known as the Gadgil Commission, which played a major role in shaping debates on conservation and sustainable development in India.

He was also the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.

Born on 24 May 1942 in Pune, Gadgil studied biology in Pune and Mumbai before earning his PhD from Harvard University. Over a long academic career, he worked on ecology, conservation biology, human ecology and ecological history, and published more than 250 scientific papers along with several influential books.

He served on key national and international bodies, including the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and panels linked to the United Nations.

His work strongly emphasised the role of local communities and democracy in environmental protection.

Gadgil received many major honours, including the Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2006), Volvo Environment Prize (2003), Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2015), and the United Nations Champions of the Earth award in 2024.

He is survived by his wife, noted meteorologist Dr Sulochana Gadgil, and their two children. His death marks the end of a towering figure in Indian environmental science and policy.