Prof Madhav Gadgil passed away in Pune after a brief illness on 7 January 2026.
After completing a PhD in 1969 from Harvard University, he taught there for two years before returning to India, and served for a further two years at the Agharkar Research Institute at Pune. In 1973, he joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) as a faculty member in the Centre for Theoretical Studies, from where he launched several research programmes in ecology and behaviour with a small team of students, postdocs, and field researchers. In 1983, he founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences at IISc with support from the Department of Environment, Government of India. Prof Gadgil is credited with introducing the evolutionary approach to the study of animal behaviour and ecology in the country, which attracted a large number of young scientists over the years, and made Bangalore – and IISc in particular – the academic capital of this discipline.
Prof Gadgil’s academic contributions cover a number of fields including theoretical ecology, plant ecology, wildlife ecology, human ecology, and ecological history, which resulted in over 200 peer-reviewed journal publications, six books, and a large number of articles in the media. Many of his early papers in theoretical biology became citation classics. His scientific achievements were recognised through his election to the fellowship of all the three major science academies in India, the World Academy of Sciences, and the US National Academy of Sciences.
He also leaves behind a formidable legacy in nature conservation, through his scientific writings, field involvement at grassroots levels, and his consistent engagement with policy at various levels of national government as well as international institutions such as the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations. In recent times, he chaired the preparation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Report (2011), a very influential and talked about report which came to be known widely as the Gadgil Committee Report. Prof Gadgil was honoured for his contributions to conservation through the Volvo Environment Prize (2003), the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (2015), and UN Champions of the Earth (2024). The Indian government also honoured him with the Padma Shri (1981) and the Padma Bhushan (2006).
Apart from his scientific excellence, he will be remembered for his extensive field knowledge and love of the Western Ghats, his support to the cause of tribal people, and his firm belief in democratic approaches to achieving nature conservation. Prof Madhav Gadgil retired from IISc in 2004. His wife, Prof Sulochana Gadgil, who also served at IISc for many decades, passed away a few months ago.
