Heart of Conservation

My guest is already famous for his visually enticing maps but he is not a cartographer by profession. I am speaking to one of India’s rising young, inspiring artist (NIFT) and author, Sudarshan Shaw whose keen sense of perception and belonging, passion for depicting, preserving local art, and love for natural history is tangible in his stunning artworks which goes way beyond creating maps. Thank you for joining me. Show notes/transcript will soon be available on my blog Earthy Matters. In the meanwhile do listen and share.

I speak with Ishita, a very brave and humble hero who happens to one of the pioneers of responsible tourism in a high himalayan desert called Spiti where she is the co-founder of Spiti-Ecosphere, a multi-award winning eco-tourism enterprise. Listen to what it takes to make toursim viable in a time when there were no proper roads to spiti (20 years ago to now) and how they face and overcome challenges post pandemic and succed at community based toursim in sureal Spiti.

The transcript for this episode is available on my blog: EarthyMatters. My guest on this episode is passionate about True dung beetles so much so they were the topic of her PhD research. Three new species of dung beetles have been discovered and named by her. I’m speaking to Seena Narayanan, a Senior Research Associate & Assistant Museum Curator at ATREE. She has prepared species pages for the Scarabaeine dung beetles of the Indian subcontinent and she manages a growing insect collection at the ATREE Insect Museum- Bangalore.

In Part 2, I continue my conversation with Jayanthi Kallam, Executive Director of Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre in Bangalore and part of her amazing team including Subeksha, Ranjana, Samiiha and Veerababu to find out what it takes to make a wildlife rehabilitation centre an efficient and successful one. Show notes for Part 1 & 2 are already up on my blog: Earthy Matters.

We may all have at some point in our lives have called an animal rescue centre. But how many of us know you know what goes after the animals is picked up? How many people does it take to look after an injured animal? What goes on behind the scenes? I’m speaking with the Executive Director of Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC), Jayanthi Kalam and the ARRC team in Bangalore to find out what makes a wildlife-rescue centre a professionally run enterprise. Listen to her explain the different goals and roles that are part of the wildlife rehabilitation process. I’m also speaking with a wildlife rescuer and a vet in this episode. Look out for Part 2 where I continue the conversation with Jayanthi and other core members of the team. You can read the show notes for Part 1 on my blog: Earthy Matters

It is not every day a yet-to-hatch cuttlefish looks straight at you through its thin egg membrane. The incredible photo ( on the podcast cover) is taken by Shaunak Modi. He tells us about his unique experiences on his journey of discovery as the co-founder of Coastal Conservation Foundation and a key member of the Marine Life of Mumbai. Listen to his amazing stories and find out how CCF in collaboration with other organizations is bringing the treasures of the sea to the people of Mumbai and taking citizen science to new shores and the minds of locals. You'll be surprised. The show notes for this episode will soon be available on my blog, Earthy Matters.

Show notes coming soon. I am speaking with Rajani Mani is a documentary filmmaker with Elephant Corridor Films, a Bengaluru based creative agency. Currently, she is working on "Colonies in Conflict" a film that examines the state of wild bees in a fast-developing Indian landscape.

Hi there, Thanks for listening. You can read the show notes of this episode on my blog Earthy matters and check out extra links provided by my guest. I am speaking to Yuvan Aves, a naturalist, educator, activist, musician and author. One of India’s young influencers, Yuvan is currently documenting coastal stories, helping create tree laws, saving the biodiversity of sand dunes and water bodies apart from a host of other ecologically relevant issues.

Show notes coming soon with pics and links.:) Instagram Photo courtesy Ambika Yelanhanka.

I am speaking to Ambika Yelahanka whose has a very enviable job involving lots of animals. Ambika’s has a Masters in Zoo Conservation and a specialization in feline behaviour and reptilian husbandry. She's the Assistant curator at Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai. Find out what a day at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust as Assistant Curator looks like. Ambika explains why enrichment is as important for reptiles as it is for carnivores and other animals. She also tells us why zoos play an important role in conservations and explains in detail about captive breeding. She also regales us with her experiences in the game parks of Africa and has interesting info about volunteering at the MCBT (Chennai) and sound advice for future zoologists.

As an ecologist, conservation researcher Vena Kapoor has worked on exploring if spiders can be used as natural pest control agents in the rainforest in Valparai in the Western Ghats. For a few years, she also managed the administrative and finance team in NCF's head office in Mysore. In 2010, Vena received Ravi Sankaran InlaksScholarship for the MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge, UK. After the course, she worked with the Cambridge Conservation Initiative on strategizing and improving the collaborative potential of geographically co-located conservation organizations for more impactful conservation research and practice. Her current area of expertise and work is in developing a well-researched nature learning curriculum and outreach material for primary schools using education theory and pedagogical practices. She also conducts workshops, talks, and walks for adults and children to introduce them to the fascinating world of insects, spiders, and nature around them.