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| Nature Conservation Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Nature Conservation Foundation |
| Formation | 1996 |
| Type | Non-profit organisation |
| Headquarters | Mysore, Karnataka, India |
| Region served | India |
| Focus | Wildlife conservation, biodiversity research, community-based conservation |
Nature Conservation Foundation
Nature Conservation Foundation is an Indian non-profit conservation research organisation based in Mysore, Karnataka. It conducts field research, implements landscape-scale conservation projects, and engages with local communities, policymaking bodies, and scientific institutions to conserve threatened species and habitats across India. The organisation works across multiple biogeographic zones including the Western Ghats, Himalaya, Central India, Northeast India and the Deccan, collaborating with universities, museums and international conservation groups.
Founded in 1996 by a group of conservation scientists and field biologists with prior affiliations to institutions such as the Wildlife Institute of India, Centre for Ecological Sciences, and Bombay Natural History Society, the organisation emerged during a period of expanding conservation networks in South Asia. Early projects drew upon expertise from researchers associated with University of Mysore, French Institute of Pondicherry, and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. During the 2000s it broadened its portfolio to include landscape-level programs informed by frameworks developed in collaboration with IUCN and Conservation International. Over subsequent decades it has partnered with government agencies such as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and state forest departments, and with academic partners including the Indian Institute of Science, Wildlife Institute of India, and foreign universities engaged in biodiversity science.
The organisation’s mission emphasises evidence-based conservation, combining rigorous field research with community engagement and policy advocacy. Objectives include: documenting species distributions and threats in priority ecoregions like the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalaya; developing species-specific recovery plans for taxa such as tiger, elephant, and lesser-known taxa; integrating traditional knowledge from indigenous communities including Gonds and Adiyans into management; and informing national policies such as the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and conservation planning under the National Wildlife Action Plan. It aims to bridge academic research from institutions like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Ashoka University with applied conservation outcomes for protected areas such as Bandipur National Park and Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Major programmes span carnivore conservation, freshwater biodiversity, montane and grassland protection, and community-led resource management. Notable projects have included long-term studies on tiger populations using camera-trap methodologies developed alongside researchers from Centre for Wildlife Studies and National Centre for Biological Sciences, population monitoring of Asian elephant corridors connecting landscapes such as Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, and conservation of endemic amphibians in the Western Ghats with partner museums like the Natural History Museum, London. Freshwater initiatives address riverine fishes and mahseer restoration with collaboration from technical groups linked to Indian Council of Agricultural Research and international institutes. Grassland conservation efforts target species-rich shola-grassland mosaics in partnership with state academic cells and local panchayats in regions adjacent to Bandipur and Periyar.
Research topics include population ecology, landscape connectivity, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and genetic assessments using laboratories linked to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and National Centre for Biological Sciences. Species focal areas have included flagship mammals—tiger, leopard, Asiatic lion (comparative studies), dhole and sloth bear—as well as understudied taxa such as pangolin, endemic freshwater prawns, and endemic amphibians of the Western Ghats and Andaman Islands. Ecosystem-level work spans montane forest dynamics in the Nilgiri Hills, riparian restoration in the Ganges and Godavari basins, and migratory bird stopover studies linked to wetlands like Chilika Lake and Kolleru Lake.
The organisation maintains collaborations with national laboratories, international NGOs and academic partners. Institutional collaborators include Wildlife Institute of India, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, and international partners such as BirdLife International, IUCN, and Conservation International. It works with multilateral funding and advisory bodies including the Global Environment Facility and engages in transboundary initiatives with neighbouring countries’ conservation agencies. Community partnerships involve tribal councils, local self-governance bodies such as Panchayati Raj institutions, and livelihood NGOs to co-develop conservation-compatible livelihood strategies.
Governance is vested in a board of trustees comprising conservation scientists, academicians and policy practitioners drawn from institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, University of Mysore, and leading conservation organisations. Funding streams combine grants from philanthropic foundations, competitive research funding from bodies like the Department of Biotechnology and Department of Science and Technology, project support from international donors such as the MacArthur Foundation and National Geographic Society, and fees from consultancy and capacity-building programs for state forest departments. Financial oversight follows regulatory frameworks under Indian charitable law and reporting standards aligned with sectoral donors.
The organisation’s work has influenced protected area management plans, corridor designation proposals and policy instruments such as tiger conservation guidelines referenced by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Its scientific outputs have been published in peer-reviewed journals and have informed conservation action for species including tiger, Asian elephant, and endemic amphibians, leading to community-led protection models adopted in landscapes adjacent to Bandipur and Biligiriranga Hills. Staff and collaborators have received recognition from awards conferred by bodies such as the Whitley Fund for Nature and national honours recognising contributions to wildlife research and conservation.
Category:Conservation organisations in India