Alumnus

Sumanta Bagchi

Research Associate, High Altitudes

Ph.D.

I received an undergraduate degree in Zoology from University of Calcutta (1999) and a Master's degree in Wildlife Sciences from Wildlife Institute of India (2001) as well as a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, Syracuse, USA. I conduct field-research in the high-altitude cold deserts of the Trans-Himalaya, towards understanding human impacts on wildlife.

Previously I have worked in the dry tropical forests of western India, investigating causes of prey depletion for tigers. This was part of my Master's dissertation on niche-geometry of forest ungulates. My work on large mammals in high-altitude cold deserts addressed the issue of competitive exclusion of ibex caused by pastoral practices. I have also worked in population-monitoring exercises for snow leopards in the region, and towards an assessment of livestock predation by wild carnivores in Spiti region of Trans-Himalaya. Through this people's attitude towards such losses were evaluated in order to find appropriate ameliorative measures.

Academically, I am interested in the niche theory and a conceptual synthesis of community and ecosystem ecology. I am currently working on response of plant communities of high-altitude rangelands to grazing and how populations of wild herbivores are impacted by livestock in parks where multiple-use is unavoidable. Towards this end, I have recently initiated a study on rangeland-dynamics in the Trans-Himalaya.

Projects

Publications

Book Chapter

2010

Multiple Use of Trans-Himalayan Rangelands: Reconciling Human Livelihoods withWildlife Conservation. 

Journal Article

2008

Distributional correlates of the Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata in Ladakh, northern India: towards a recovery programme. 

Journal Article

2007

A Strategy for Conservation of Tibetan Gazelle Procapra picticaudata in Ladakh. 

Journal Article

2007

Pastoral nomads of the Indian Changthang: production system, landuse and socioeconomic changes. 

Journal Article

2006

Living with large carnivores: predation on livestock by the snow leopard (Uncia uncia). 

Journal Article

2004

Conflicts between traditional pastoralism and conservation of Himalayan Ibex (Capra sibirica) in the Trans-Himalayan mountains