The Think Wildlife Podcast Anish Banerjee

The Eastern Ghats is amongst the most biodiverse regions in India. This discontinuous mountain range is spread predominantly across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. A study conducted by ATREE found over 200 species of birds in the Eastern Ghats, which includes the endemic Jerdon’s Courser. The region also has healthy populations of elephants, gaur, blackbuck, leopards and wolves, alongside various small mammal species. Around 400 tigers are found in the region. 
Unfortunately, only a very small portion of the Eastern Ghats landscape is classified as a protected area, making the region vulnerable to rapid land cover change. Other than rampant habitat loss, hunting and the illegal wildlife trade threatens the fauna of the region.
In this episode, I interview Dr. Vikram Aditya who has worked extensively on the conservation of the mammals of the Eastern Ghats. He is currently a Principal Scientist at the Centre for Wildlife Studies and spearheads their Wildlife Hunting and Trade program. Currently, the program operates solely in the Eastern Ghats, to study how hunting pressure and illegal wildlife trade is impacting wildlife in the region.



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Dugongs are amongst Asia’s most charismatic marine mammals. The species is often referred to as "sea cows" as their diet predominantly consists of seagrass.  The range of the dugongs is fragmented across the warm coastal waters of the western Pacific Ocean to the eastern coast of Africa. In India, their range extends across the Western and Southern coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago. 
Unfortunately, dugongs are listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List, with their global population declining more than 20% in the last 90 years. Traditional and industrial hunting of dugongs for their meat and oil led to the plummeting of sea cow populations. However, currently, the primary threats faced by dugongs are habitat loss and environmental degradation. Deep-sea mining, trawling, and land reclamation degrade seagrass meadows by increasing sedimentation and hence reducing exposure to light. Pollution, in the form of sewage, heavy metals waste, and herbicides further destroys seagrass meadows. While not quantified,  industrial fishing is also a massive threat as dugongs regularly succumb as bycatch following entanglement in fishing nets.
In this episode, Elrika D’Souza, one of India’s leading marine biologists, elaborates on her dugong and seagrass conservation work at the Nature Conservation Foundation. Tune in to listen more!



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India is a wildlife paradise. Despite being the largest democracy and fastest-growing economy in the world, wildlife has recovered throughout the country. From tigers of Madhya Pradesh to hornbills and Amur falcons of Nagaland and the lions of Gujarat, India is home to conservation miracles.  Capturing these stories is RoundGlass Sustain. With the aim of becoming an encyclopedia of India’s wildlife, RoundglassSustain utilized stories, videos, infographics, and humor to highlight India’s biodiversity, habitats, and conservation. RoundGlass Sustain captures some of the most inspiring conservation stories, from the Great Indian Bustard to the One Horned Rhino. They also aptly decipher complicated conservation issues, such as human-wildlife conflict and climate change. In this episode, I interview Sunny Gurpreet Singh, the founder of RoundGlass, and  Neha Dara, the business head of RoundGlass Sustain.


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The Markhor is one of Central and South Asia's most charismatic mountain ungulates. The species is scattered across the Karakoram Range, Afghanistan, and the western Himalayas. The Markhor, often called the “Screw-horned Goat” is the national animal of Pakistan.  In Persian and Pahto languages, the word “mārkhor” translates as "snake-eater" highlighting the ancient belief that the markhor would actively kill and consume snakes.
The Markhor is currently listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN Red List. Across its range, hunting is the primary threat to the Markhor.  In Pakistan, the Markhor falls victim to the lucrative trophy hunting business. Meanwhile, the hunting of markhor for bushmeat and traditional beliefs is still prevalent in Afghanistan and India, despite such practices being banned. In India, habitat loss and fragmentation due to climate change and livestock overgazing remain a major threat. LIke most mountain ungulates in the Himalayas, the markhor is not spared from the free-ranging dog menace in India.
In this episode of the Think Wildlife Podcast, Tanushree Srivastava and I discuss Markhor conservation in Kashmir. Tanushree, who is one of the leading scientists researching Himalaya’s ungulates, also spearheads Wildlife Trust of India’s  “ Kashmir Markhor Recovery Project”.


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With over three decades of conservation experience, Dr. Sanjay Molur, is one of India’s leading wildlife biologists. He was a part of the team of scientists which formulated the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Since 1995,  Dr. Molur has conducted the status assessments of over 10,000 (sub)species and ecosystems. He was amongst the earliest scientists to report frogs in the Western Ghats succumbing to the fatal chytrid fungus.
Dr. Molur established the Journal of Threatened Taxa, the first international platinum open-access journal from India. He is also the founder and executive director of the Zoo Outreach Organization. As a recognition of his work, two species have been named after him. This includes the thomisid spider (Strigoplus moluri) and a freshwater fish Pethia sanjaymoluri, both endemic to parts of the Western Ghats. 
Tune into the episode as we discuss his illustrious conservation career. We also disseminate the IUCN Red List Criteria and the conservation of amphibians in India.


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Neha Sinha was once an environmental reporter at The Indian Express. However, she is now one of India’s leading conservationists.  Throughout her career, Neha has utilized her aptitude for communication and advocacy to improve policy and safeguard India’s precious wildlife.  One of the most prominent campaigns Neha has supported is the Amur Falcon Campaign in Nagaland and Manipur.  
During their annual winter migration from Siberia to southern Africa, over a million birds roost in Nagaland between November and December. The Doyang Reservoir formed the single largest congregation of the species and is referred to as the Amur Falcon Capital. In 2012, the indiscriminate massacre of Amur Falcons in the Pangti villages in Nagaland’s Wokha District. Over 100,000 falcons were hunted annually and sold to local markets in Nagaland and Assam. Hunters could earn up to $500 within five weeks from this lucrative trade.
Fortunately, over a decade later, a revolution has occurred in the region. Much like the hornbills of Nagaland, the Amur falcons are passionately protected by local communities, which once hunted them. In this interview, Neha remembers one of India’s greatest conservation miracles.
Neha also elaborates on her work in policy and advocacy. This includes the National Biodiversity Targets for the Government of India and the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act 2022. We also discuss about the State of India’s birds and the importance of nature writing for conservation. Lastly, Neha also talks about her book  'Wild and Wilful', which explores the story of 15 iconic Indian species. This includes the Bengal Tiger, King Cobra, elephants, leopards, magarmach, and many more.  All views in this podcast are personal.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit anishbanerjee.substack.com