2022 Field Biology Award: Divya Vasudev

Divya Vasudev works in a diverse, threatened area of Northeast India where there is conflict between the needs of people and wildlife, which is causing major loss of biodiversity. Vasudev’s studies have examined how to increase forest connectivity and reduce species persistence for iconic species, such as elephants and gibbons, that inhabit these landscapes. She uses both biological and human-dimension lenses in the examination of these environments. An ecologist by training, Vasudev’s original work shed light on how simple behavioral decisions affect successful dispersal in fragmented landscapes. More recently, she is focusing her research on explicitly incorporating humans into the picture and acknowledging that conservation of critical corridors for wildlife requires engagement and support from the local people.

Vasudev uses a wide set of quantitative tools to build connectivity models that include ecological and anthropological field-collected data to inform conservation. Her work demonstrates understanding that ecological problems in these landscapes demand a more thorough socio-ecological research approach. Vasudev is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Conservation Initiatives.

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