Interview Summary
Prachi Mehta speaks about her involvement in the conservation of the Forest Owlet, highlighting the threats to their population and habitat loss; she highlights agriculture, timber logging, and tourism. She speaks about her owl conservation efforts by working with local communities and conducting capacity-building workshops with forest officials. She discusses the development of her research techniques and methodologies and the phases of her research and conservation work on the Forest Owlet. Mehta emphasizes the need for sustained monitoring and research to identify the root causes of population decline and develop effective conservation measures. She speaks of the collaboration between researchers and forest departments, as well as the challenges faced in conducting scientific research in forestry. Finally, she shares her personal experiences in conservation work, highlighting the importance of aligning personal values with professional choices.
(00:00:03) Forest Owlet conservation work in India, starting with research interest and leading to direct involvement in conservation efforts due to habitat loss
(00:04:03) Bird population monitoring and conservation in a forest area concerning felling and agriculture
(00:09:45) Conservation efforts in Khandwa, focussing on preventing tree felling and capacity building with forest officials
(00:14:36) Protecting endangered species in forest areas and owl trade hotspots for black magic
(00:20:08) Wildlife conservation and tourism in India.
(00:24:54) Conservation efforts for endangered owl species
(00:29:40) Bird tagging for habitat research
(00:37:30) How researchers can engage forest departments for conservation management
(00:39:56) Challenges researchers in engaging forest departments, speaking about experiences in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
(00:46:36) Building trust between researchers and forest department officials for effective conservation efforts
(00:53:06) Research needs for conservation efforts including population monitoring and habitat protection
[00:53:50-00:54:16 - Restricted Access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in for details]
(00:57:49) Conservation efforts for owls in India, including field implementations such nest boxes and village engagement
(01:03:43) Collaboration with and outreach to local stakeholders for the conservation of endangered species
(01:09:47) Personal experiences and perspectives on forest conservation and the role of officers in the field
(01:12:51) Scientific publications, fundraising challenges, and conservation efforts
(01:19:35) The importance of science in conservation, debunking myths, and using technology to improve breeding success
(01:27:30) Career advice to a younger generation of aspiring ecologists and conservationists and suggestions on volunteering with NGOs and forest departments
[01:30:29-01:32:20 - Restricted Access. Contact archives@ncbs.res.in for details]
(01:33:44) Personal reflections on conservation efforts in a forest, including telemetry and monitoring work
(01:39:39) Personal reflections on teamwork, leadership, and wildlife conservation
(01:42:39) Solo travel experiences in forests
Dates
- Creation: 2023-06-24
Creator
- From the File: Sridhar, Hari (Interviewer, Person)
- From the File: Udaipurwala, Umm-E-Salama (Processing Archivist, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Level of Access: Open/Online
Biography
Prachi Mehta is an ecologist who has been studying the ecology of the Forest Owlet since 2005. She is currently the Director (Research) of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Society (WRCS), Pune. She grew up in Mumbai and did her undergraduate degree from Ruia College, Mumbai in Life Sciences. She pursued her master’s in Life Sciences from Mumbai University following which she did her PhD in Wildlife Biology from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, (WII) studying the impact of forestry practices on bird communities of Satpura Hills in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, and Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
She and Jayant Kulkarni started an environmental consultancy called Enviro Search in 2001 and later created the non-governmental organization WRCS in 2005. Her work involves studying the ecology of the Forest Owlet at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, and Melghat, Nandurbar, and Tansa in Maharashtra. She has been involved in community-based mitigation of human-elephant interactions in Uttara Kannada and Maharashtra.
In addition to her research on the Forest Owlet, Mehta has been involved in the protection of the bird. She has collaborated with local communities through awareness programs and with the Forest Department by conducting capacity-building programs for their frontline staff.
Extent
113 Minutes
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the Archives at NCBS Repository
National Centre for Biological Sciences - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Bangalore Karnataka 560065 India
+9180 6717 6010
+9180 6717 6011
archives@ncbs.res.in