Uttarakhand names road after wildlife biologist A.J.T. Johnsingh; Tamil Nadu to announce first Johnsingh Award recipient soon

The Uttarakhand Forest Department paid tribute to eminent wildlife biologist A.J.T. Johnsingh by naming a forest road after him. Governor of Uttarakhand Lt Gen. Gurmit Singh (retd), former vice chief of the Indian Army, did the honours at the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The road was named Dr A.J.T. Johnsingh Van Motor Marg.

The forest road in Johnsingh’s memory will run from Dholkhand Range Office to Dholkhand machan. Dholkhand is one of the six ranges in the western part of the reserve, the others being Ramgarh, Kansrao, Motichur, Hardwar and Chillawali. This particular stretch of the road was chosen because it is “a trail traversed by Dr Johnsingh innumerable times”.

Bivash Pandav, senior professor at Wildlife Institute of India and Johnsingh’s student, said: “Prior to 2004, the whole of Rajaji National Park was full of Gujjar settlements. Gujjars, a pastoral community, with their large buffalo holdings, dominated the forests of Rajaji. However, the Dholkhand valley, the forest along the Dholkhand Rau (Rau for dry river bed), was traditionally free of Gujjar settlements. Hence, this valley showcased the typical wilderness of the Shivaliks. Tigers roamed in this valley that was teeming with Sambar (his most favourite animal), spotted deer, wild pigs and barking deer.

“The hill slopes along this valley supported a large population of goral, a mountain goat that Dr Johnsingh read in the writings of Jim Corbett as a child and showed it to forest department officers after he joined the Wildlife Institute of India as a scientist. Barely 30km away from the Doon valley, the Dholkhand area became his favourite destination. Most of the weekends were spent in Dholkhand, walking the ridges, spotting gorals, observing sambars and tracking tigers. This is where he took all the students, trainees and his faculty colleagues on frequent walks and to train them in field biology.”

Johnsingh’s home state, Tamil Nadu, had instituted an award in his name on September 16, 2024. The Dr A.J.T. Johnsingh Wildlife Conservation Award will be bestowed annually on an “Indian citizen or institution for exemplary contributions in the field of wildlife conservation by a citation and prize money of Rs25 Lakh”.

The final scrutiny committee for the award will comprise four members, with the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden as chairperson. The other members will be “the additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), deputy conservator of forests at headquarters, and a reputed person in the field of wildlife conservation” who has no links to the nominees. Nominations for the first award closed on January 31 and the inaugural awardee's name is expected to be announced soon.

Johnsingh died of cancer, aged 78, in Bengaluru on June 7, 2024. He is survived by his sons Squadron Leader Mike Asir Johnsingh (retd) and Mervin Johnsingh, a Seattle-based senior designer with Microsoft. His wife, Kousalya, predeceased him.