Madhav Gadgil, the renowned ecologist, passed away in Pune on Wednesday night at the age of 84, after a brief illness.
"I am very sorry to share the sad news that my father, Madhav Gadgil, passed away late last night in Pune after a brief illness," his son, Siddhartha Gadgil, said in a statement.
Gadgil was widely known for his pioneering work on the Western Ghats and was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences. He also served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.
In 2010, he was appointed chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), formed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to address ecological concerns in the region. The committee’s 2011 report, widely known as the Gadgil Report, warned that the Western Ghats would face imminent natural disasters unless urgent measures were taken to protect its eco-sensitive zones.
While the Gadgil Report initially sparked widespread protests across the six states in the Western Ghats region, its recommendations gained renewed attention following the devastating floods in Kerala and Kodagu in 2018.
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A recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, and Karnataka's Rajyotsava Prashasthi, Gadgil played a pivotal role in landmark environmental initiatives in India, including the Save Silent Valley Movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and forest protection efforts in Bastar during the 1980s. He also conducted extensive research in various fields, including population biology, conservation biology, human ecology, and ecological history.
In recognition of his contributions to ecology, THE WEEK honoured him with the Man of the Year Award in 2019.
"In the passing of Dr. Madhav Gadgil, India has lost one of its foremost voices in ecological inquiry. His leadership transformed scientific evidence into protective action, particularly through his decisive engagement in landmark conservation efforts and the promotion of community rights, especially in the Western Ghats," Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X.
Kharge further remarked that Gadgil leaves behind an enduring legacy in research, teaching, and ecological conservation, and his loss marks a significant setback for the country’s green cause.