Dr. Anish Andheria
President
A Carl Zeiss Conservation Awardee, Dr. Anish Andheria is a Fellow of LEAD and the President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust. Upon completing his Doctorate from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Anish went on to pursue his passion with a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. He is a large carnivore biologist with field expertise in predator-prey relationships. A wildlife photographer of repute, Anish has photographed some of the remotest wildlife reserves in India. He has co-authored two books on Indian wildlife and contributed to several other national and international publications.
He is a member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and both the Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir State Boards for Wildlife. Anish is a member of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Gujarat State Lion Conservation Society. He is also part of the Organising Committee of the ‘India Climate Collaborative’ (ICC) and the Governing Council of the ‘Bombay Natural History Society’ (BNHS). He has played a pivotal role in setting up the renowned Kids for Tigers initiative, a nationwide conservation education programme that has reached out to millions of school children over 17 years.
A distinguished Alumni Awardee from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Anish is a natural communicator and is one of India’s leading motivational speakers. He has introduced thousands of people to the joys of nature and the rationale for nature conservation.
Aditya Joshi
Head – Conservation Research (Central Indian Landscape)
Aditya Joshi is a trained wildlife biologist from the National Centre for Biological Sciences. As part of his Master’s thesis, he carried out one of the first studies on the connectivity of tiger populations using a combination of conservation genetics and landscape ecology, substantiating long-range dispersal by tigers. He is a recipient of the Karanth J. Paul Getty Award 2010 for academic and conservation excellence. He has worked extensively on occupancy surveys of tiger corridors and tiger monitoring outside Protected Areas. Aditya is interested in creating short documentaries to increase awareness about wildlife conservation and has produced one on the vultures at Ramnagara.
Dr. Nachiket Kelkar
Head-Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods
Nachiket Kelkar heads the Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme at WCT and also co-manages its Makara and WildTech programmes. He is keenly interested in an interdisciplinary understanding of the ecological and socio-political processes that affect biodiversity conservation and human livelihood security in freshwater ecosystems. His PhD research explored the socio-ecological conflicts in the riverine fisheries of India’s Gangetic plains, at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Prior to that, he obtained a Master’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR in 2008.
Nachiket has been studying Ganges river dolphins and riverine capture fisheries in Bihar and surrounding regions since 2006–07. Over the last two decades, his work has spanned across seagrass meadows and coral reef ecosystems, moths, terrestrial plants, dugongs, sea turtles, crocodiles, waterbirds, otters, and bats. His other areas of work include population ecology and estimation, eco-hydrology, sensory ecology, environmental history, and Bayesian statistics.
He is a Member of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and was a co-convenor of the International Whaling Commission’s Task Team on South Asian river dolphins. Apart from the conservation and policy applications of research, he is keenly interested in implementing capacity-building programmes for forest departments, students, and researchers.
He is a Member of Bihar’s State Board for Wildlife and regularly advises the state forest department and divisions on riverine wildlife conservation challenges and monitoring solutions. He is also an Adjunct Scientist at FERAL (Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy, and Learning, Bangalore) and an Assistant Professor at the Trans-Disciplinary University (TDU), Bangalore, where he is affiliated with the Coexistence Studies Group.
Tarun Nair
Lead, Programme Makara
Tarun is a conservation biologist with an affinity for crocodilians and rivers. His work has largely focused on understanding the conservation needs of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in North-Central India, particularly along the Chambal, Son and Gandak Rivers. He is also interested in human-wildlife interactions, conservation philosophy, policy, and the human impact on wildlife and ecosystems.
His first chance to work with wildlife came immediately after high school. Opting out of formal education, he spent the next three years as a wildlife rescue-and-rehabilitation volunteer, and also monitored wildlife crimes such as the pet trade, hunting for wild meat, animals used in performances, and ritual hunting. An accident forced him back into higher secondary school which, luckily, was a wooded campus adjacent to a Reserved Forest. He completed his graduation through open university whilst still staying involved in conservation-related work. Soon after, an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation helped him pursue a career in conservation biology.
Tarun leads Programme Makara at WCT and also works on the Otter & Hydrology project in the Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
Girish Punjabi
Head-Conservation Research Western Ghats
Girish is a no-frills grassroots conservationist focused on applied research. In the past, he has worked in diverse roles as part of NGOs and within government set-ups in equally diverse landscapes ranging from the dry habitats of central India to the wet forests of the Western Ghats. He has a special interest in carnivores and has been part of some discoveries and range extensions of small carnivores. He has a Master’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from NCBS, Bengaluru.
He is part of the Dhole Working Group for the IUCN SCC Canid Specialist Group. He is also an assessor for two species (Brown palm civet and Stripe-necked mongoose) for the IUCN Red List. He truly believes in reaching out to a larger audience to create awareness about these species and the landscapes they reside in. His work has been published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and many reputed conservation forums and magazines. He is a recipient of the Carl Zeiss Conservation Award (2015).
At WCT, Girish’s work focuses on the conservation of forests along the tri-junction of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka.
Vivek Tumsare
Senior Programme Manager
Vivek holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune. After working extensively on monitoring large carnivores through camera-trapping, his passion led him to acquire a Postgraduate Diploma in International Wildlife Conservation Practice from WildCRU, Oxford University, UK.
At WCT, Vivek currently manages the camera-trapping exercise for large carnivores in the Central Indian Landscape. As part of WCT’s capacity-building drives, he also trains the frontline forest staff in wildlife population estimation techniques.
Vikrant Jathar
Programme Manager
After completing a postgraduate degree in Zoology from Mumbai University, Vikrant worked as a JRF at the Foundation for Ecological Research Advocacy and Learning (FERAL) for two years, before joining WCT. At FERAL, he studied the effects of restoration on biodiversity in different land-use types, using butterflies as indicators. He was also part of the camera-trapping teams studying: a) effects of linear barriers on the movement of wildlife across the Shenkottai Gap in the Western Ghats; and b) demography and movement of elephants across the Bannerghatta and Hosur landscape. He is deeply interested in butterflies and their distribution.
Subhasis Dey
Programme Manager
Subhasis Dey works with the Makara and Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programmes at WCT, and manages all of the programmes’ field operations in Bihar. He has worked closely with riverine fishing communities since 1998, when he joined the Ganges river dolphin conservation project led by Professor Sunil K. Choudhary at T.M. Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur, Bihar.
He has been continuously involved, through a deeply personal engagement, in tracking the on-the-ground realities of the struggles and conflicts that river-dependent fishing communities have faced in order to sustain their livelihoods along the Ganga River and its tributaries across Bihar. Subhasis is interested in applying ecological and sociological research findings on the vulnerability and adaptation capacity of fisherfolk. His goal is to identify solutions to aid their development and ensure community-level involvement in the sustainable conservation of riverine fisheries and biodiversity.
Subhasis has also been collecting fish landing and market data from Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon since 2000–01, in an effort that created one of the longest ‘civil society-based’ time-series datasets on riverine fisheries in India. Subhasis is a Member of the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and was part of National Geographic’s Source to Sea expedition in 2019.
S Ramya Roopa
Programme Manager
Ramya completed her M.Sc. in 2018 from the Erasmus Mundus – International Masters in Applied Ecology programme. During her studies, she developed a keen interest in population ecology, and conducted her thesis on the occupancy and habitat preferences of an endangered sand lizard species in Southern Brazil. In her work since then, she has studied hunting and illegal wildlife trade in India, with a focus on freshwater turtles and tortoises.
In her role as a Data Analyst with the Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods (REAL) Programme, she uses a combination of statistical and remote-sensing methods to analyse long-term data on endangered riverine fauna, hydrology, and poaching. She also creates interactive web-apps to help users visualise and interpret river monitoring trends and data. Ramya is interested in understanding the impacts of over-exploitation on turtle population decline and prospects for recovery. She leads the freshwater turtle research project in Bihar within the REAL programme.
Anuj Alukathra
Research Associate
Anuj graduated from Bharati Vidyapeeth in Pune with a Master’s degree in wildlife conservation action. There he developed a thorough understanding of ecological concepts and conservation tactics that have enabled him to meaningfully contribute to conservation efforts.
Prior to joining WCT, he worked as an intern on a coral reef recovery project for the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), where he obtained invaluable practical knowledge in marine conservation.
Population ecology, spatiotemporal dynamics, data analysis, and documentation are his main areas of interest. In his current position, he focuses on using statistical and geographical analysis methods to efficiently understand ecological data. He is committed to learning about the patterns and trends in wildlife populations and using that information to create strategies that further wildlife conservation efforts.
Amit Sutar
Field Consultant
Amit has been a field consultant with WCT since 2019. Originally from Dodamarg Tehsil in Maharashtra, a highly biodiverse area of the Western Ghats, Amit’s passion for forests and wildlife began at a young age. His native village was once located in the Tillari Valley before being relocated due to the Tillari Dam project. Amit has extensive experience working on various projects in the Western Ghats since 2016. He is skilled in setting up camera traps for wildlife data collection, and is proficient in other survey methods such as sign surveys and transects. Outside of his professional life, Amit is also an avid photographer and enjoys fishing in his free time.
Rahul Thakur
Field Consultant
Rahul has been a field consultant with WCT since 2024. Rahul grew up in a farming family in the biodiverse Tillari region of Dodamarg, Maharashtra. His interactions with wildlife have made him an enthusiastic naturalist and an avid birdwatcher. Rahul enjoys trekking, hiking, and exploring the forests of the Western Ghats during his field research activities with WCT. He was also part of the team that discovered a new odonate species, the Tillari Cruiser (Macromia kannharaiensis), in Dodamarg, and documented range extension records for another odonate (Dysphaea ethela).
Subodh Kumar Bhowmik
Programme Manager
Subodh Kumar Bhowmik is a programme manager for WCT’s Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme. An advocate with a Master’s degree in Environmental Science, Subodh looks after daily work administration and community outreach planning, manages the field office at Bhagalpur, and contributes to integrated database management and policy analysis on many fronts.
Before joining WCT, Subodh worked in the environmental impact assessment and compliance sector and also worked closely with NGOs in Bihar that focus on rural health care, girl child education, anti-addiction campaigns, and zero waste. He is interested in environmental law and policy, and its application to address local and national environmental challenges. He is also a trained classical vocalist and tabla player.
Soumen Bakshi
Field Coordinator, West Bengal
Soumen Bakshi is an award-winning wildlife photographer, animator, filmmaker, and clay sculptor who has made solid contributions to wildlife conservation, especially for the Ganges River Dolphin. As the Field Coordinator (West Bengal) for WCT’s Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme, Soumen believes that working with fishing communities at multiple levels—from awareness and outreach to on-the-ground monitoring of illegal activities—can deliver tangible and lasting conservation outcomes for riverine wildlife.
In his role, Soumen has been highly active in monitoring fisheries and wildlife in the Ganga and Hooghly rivers of West Bengal. He created the film “Tangled Fates,” produced by Wildlife Conservation Trust, which highlighted the complexities of the threat of fisheries bycatch for Ganges river dolphins. He deployed CGI effects to show a dolphin’s side-swimming, feeding, and navigation behaviour underwater with high accuracy.
Akshay Kumar
Field Consultant
Akshay Kumar is a Field Consultant for WCT’s Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme, and he has been working with us for nearly eight or nine years. He is a multi-talented fieldworker with experience in survey data collection, kayak navigation, camping, and cooking—he is an excellent cook. He is also a trained hip-hop dancer and a hustler by nature; he has previously been involved in many small businesses to support his family while also completing his BA degree.
Akshay comes from a fishing community and strongly believes in inspiring young fishers to support conservation efforts and develop their skills. He hopes that this will enable them to move away from insecure, fishery-related livelihoods and look towards a better future. River dolphins are Akshay’s main interest.
Ravindra Kumar
Field Consultant
Ravindra Kumar is a Field Consultant for the Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme and has over a decade of experience in wildlife surveys, fisheries monitoring, and river fieldwork. An experienced kayaker who has represented Bihar at the national level, he is an expert navigator and a key member of all our field surveys.
Ravindra belongs to a fishing community on the Ganga River, possesses detailed ecological knowledge of fish and fishing, and has a B.Com. degree. He is especially interested in otters and their conservation and regularly works on community outreach.
Ashutosh Kumar
Field Consultant
Ashutosh Kumar is a field consultant with the Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme and holds a BA in English (Hons.), along with a BA in Sitar (Instrumental), of which he is an exponent.
Ashutosh has been keenly interested in plants and animals since a young age and has founded and contributed to developing animal rescue and wildlife crime prevention networks with fellow students in Bihar. He is a trained bird guide and rescue professional with over eight years of field experience and has also worked as a Ganga Prahari under the Namami Gange programme, organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, Government of India, and the Wildlife Institute of India.
Ashutosh is keenly interested in turtle, bird, and dolphin conservation, especially in the context of illegal wildlife trade and hunting.
Khushi Kumari
Field Consultant
Khushi Kumari has a BA in Economics and has worked in rural community welfare and children’s education. She joined the Riverine Ecosystems and Livelihoods programme at WCT as a field consultant, where she looks after the fishing community outreach and well-being efforts undertaken by the programme in eastern Bihar.
Khushi is also trained in karate, has an Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications, and taught at a primary rural school in her native village in the Bhagalpur district for seven years before joining WCT. She is also an active member of the Jeevika programme of the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society, State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Bihar.
Vatan Kumar
Field Consultant
Vatan Kumar is a Field Consultant with the Makara programme at Wildlife Conservation Trust. With exceptional field skills and tenacity, he works in the Chambal landscape in various roles: field surveys, wildlife rescues, monitoring illegal activities, capacity building, departmental engagements, and education programmes for schoolchildren.
Vatan has a BA in Hindi, is a trained bird guide and snake rescuer, and has been part of many wildlife rescue and monitoring networks in Bihar, including student-led efforts in which he has played a foundational part. Vatan is very interested in exploring areas neglected by mainstream conservation efforts and likes to take on tough field challenges. He is particularly interested in herpetofauna and birds but has also worked to prevent the illegal trade of many other threatened species.
Munna Lal
Field Assistant
Munna Lal is a Field Assistant with the Makara programme at Wildlife Conservation Trust. Munna, a resident of Dholpur, Rajasthan, lives along the banks of the Chambal. He is a qualified ITI electrician and an amateur wildlife photographer, and has experience operating boats and guiding tourists.
He says, “Growing up by the Chambal River, I’ve always been fascinated by rivers and the animals that depend on them. I started with gharial boat safaris, sharing their story with people, and now I’m assisting in a gharial conservation project, working on data collection and assisting the team with fieldwork.”
Nilesh Singh
Research Associate
Nilesh Singh is a Research Associate with the Makara programme at Wildlife Conservation Trust. Passionate about wildlife conservation, with hands-on experience in anti-poaching, habitat restoration, and species monitoring, Nilesh previously worked as a drone pilot for the Wildlife Surveillance & Anti-Poaching System at Sariska Tiger Reserve. As a wildlife educator, he is committed to sharing knowledge and using research and technology to protect biodiversity for the future.
Sateesh
Field Assistant
Sateesh is a Field Assistant with the Makara programme at Wildlife Conservation Trust. Sateesh is a resident of Dholpur, Rajasthan, and his village adjoins an important gharial nesting site in the Chambal. He spent much of his working years in Punjab, managing a food stall.
He says, “Growing up near the Chambal River, I have always loved rivers and animals. I help with daily fieldwork, cooking, and supporting the team in their everyday activities.”
Dr. Madhura Niphadkar-Bandekar
Restoration Ecologist
Dr. Madhura Niphadkar-Bandekar has a PhD in Ecology from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), a background in Geography, and professional training in satellite image mapping, especially as applied to nature conservation, from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun. In her previous roles, she has led a team providing technological support for monitoring ecosystem restoration projects and also worked for the National Mission for Biodiversity and Human Well-Being, collating information on research on invasive species in India to help prepare policy documents. She believes in open access to information and Citizen Science, and with this philosophy, has worked in the founding team for the development of the India Biodiversity Portal, the Karnataka Biodiversity Atlas, and the Maharashtra Gene Bank spatial portal for making biodiversity information accessible to the public. Along with six dedicated naturalists, she has co-founded the Foundation for Environmental Research and Conservation, a non-profit based in Goa, which works in the areas of social and environmental awareness and documentation of the wildlife of Goa. She is one of the founding members of the Goa Bird Conservation Network, and currently also serves as the Vice-President of the Gomantak Lokseva Trust, an organisation that supports destitute women. She is also a member of the Education and Skill Development Committee, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a Fellow of LEAD-India, an organisation committed to creating leaders in environmentally sustainable, socially equitable development.
Dr. Chetan Misher
Restoration/Wildlife Ecologist
Chetan is interested in understanding the complex interplay between changing landscapes and lesser-known species within desert and grassland ecosystems. Hailing from the Thar region, the resilience and dynamism of the landscape and its inhabitants have inspired him to explore these often-misunderstood habitats.
Initially captivated by the desert foxes, Chetan’s exploration has evolved into a comprehensive study of the evolving dynamics within dryland ecosystems. Over the past decade, his focus has been on understanding the consequences of ecological invasions on ecosystem functionality and the indigenous wildlife communities in the arid landscapes of western India. His PhD research delves into the impacts of invasive plant and animal species on the native guilds of prey, predators, and scavengers in the Thar region.
His extensive work in one of Asia’s finest grasslands, Banni in Kutch, has centred on the rapid encroachment by the invasive Prosopis juliflora and its effects on soil, vegetation, and biodiversity. Chetan’s research also examines the influence of free-ranging dogs on various native wildlife guilds in the Thar region, particularly their role as scavengers and their competition with the endangered vultures.
In addition to his scientific pursuits, Chetan advocates for the dissemination of scientific knowledge in vernacular languages to enhance conservation efforts. Thus, he likes to write about conservation and wildlife stories in Hindi. Chetan’s work encompasses a broad spectrum, ranging from grasslands, carbon accounting, and meso-carnivores to vultures, drylands, and biodiversity conservation.
Vijayant Khatri
Field Associate
Vijayant is a filmmaker and photographer with a focus on documentary storytelling. He completed his graduation from the Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida. Over the years, he has worked on several documentaries and short films, including projects that document the work of NGOs and tribal communities.
His visual work explores themes such as wildlife, social life, art, and culture. Through filmmaking and photography, he aims to support conservation and promote social awareness.
Vijayant joined the Ecosystem Restoration Programme at WCT in May 2024 as a Field Associate. His responsibilities include managing the field station, supporting ecological surveys, assisting with native plantation and invasive species removal, and coordinating field logistics. He also leads the photographic and video documentation of field activities, helping visually communicate WCT’s on-ground conservation efforts.
Ishwar Sahu
Research Assistant
Ishwar holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, and a Bachelor’s in Science. His academic background is further strengthened by a Diploma in Ornithology and a certificate course in birding, through which he gained hands-on experience conducting daily field surveys.
A keen birder, Ishwar is deeply interested in avian research, particularly in understanding bird behavior and supporting the conservation of threatened species. Along with birds his broader interests include studying mammalian and reptilian diversity and understanding their ecological roles in arid landscapes.
Alongside field experience, Ishwar brings skills in statistical analysis, and laboratory techniques related to soil and water testing. These competencies help him contribute meaningfully to biodiversity assessments and ecological monitoring.
At WCT, he supports ecosystem restoration efforts in Rajasthan’s semi-arid regions. His responsibilities include assisting in restoration interventions, managing daily field activities, and contributing to scientific assessments.
Damodar Nayak
Field Assistant / Gardener
Damodar joined WCT as a Field Assistant and Gardener, bringing with him extensive experience in farming and a deep-rooted connection to the natural landscapes of Rajasthan. Growing up in a farming family and amidst wilderness, he developed a strong interest in native plants, wildlife, and nature.
At WCT, Damodar’s primary role is to establish, grow, and maintain a nursery of native plant species suited to the region’s semi-arid ecosystems. He has successfully raised over 4,000 plants across more than 20 species of native trees, shrubs, and grasses, many grown from seeds he personally collected. In addition to nursery work, he supports field teams in ecological data collection, plantation drives, and other restoration tasks.
Ami Gumashta
Consultant/Advisor
A Paul Harris Awardee for outstanding work in the social sector, Ami Gumashta is a postgraduate in finance and a Chartered Accountant by profession. She started her career in the developmental sector more than two decades ago with ADAPT (formerly the Spastics Society of India), where she was the Director – Finance and Projects and a Member of the Governing Body. She is currently senior advisor to the Hemendra Kothari Foundation and Lilavati Hindu Sanitorium. Her expertise lies in structuring systems and processes and establishing budgetary controls. Ami comes with vast experience in the areas of project development, project management, and donor management. She has successfully managed projects supported by UNICEF, the Swedish International Development Agency, the Canadian International Development Agency, the International Labour Organisation, and BMZ, Germany, besides managing projects supported by leading Indian corporate houses and public sector organisations under the CSR umbrella.
She supports WCT by leveraging her experience in the formulation and management of budgets, and project development and management. Her unique approach of blending processes with the essential dynamism of developmental sector scenarios sets her apart.
Atul Mukne
Head-Finance
An integral part of the WCT accounts team, Atul has over 20 years of experience helping NGOs with fund management and accounting. Prior to joining WCT, he worked with Child Rights and You (CRY) as a Senior Manager for Finance and Accounts and with the Unit Trust of India. He has a Master’s degree in Commerce from Mumbai University and is deeply passionate about environmental issues.
Atul plays an instrumental role at WCT, overseeing accounting, audits, statutory compliance, financial planning, and monitoring WCT’s financial activities.
Esther Chettiar
Senior Finance Executive
A postgraduate in Commerce from the University of Mumbai, Esther has earned a P.G. Diploma in Event Management from NIEM, Mumbai, and also successfully completed the NGO Financial Management Certificate course from Mango (UK). She has 10 years of work experience with an NGO, handling accounts and monitoring funds. In addition, she was actively involved in a children’s supplementary education and creative skills development programme.
As part of the WCT’s Finance team, Esther is currently handling day-to-day financial transactions.
Mangesh Shinde
Senior Finance Executive
Mangesh has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, with a specialisation in Accounting and Finance from the Mumbai University. He possesses three years of experience in export documentation, audit, payment processing, and other compliances. His core strength lies in independently handling accounting and taxation.
As part of the WCT’s Accounts and Finance team, Mangesh executes day-to-day financial transactions.
Amol Pade
Head – Human Resource & Administration
The amiable and approachable Amol Pade heads the Human Resources function at WCT. Amol holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources from Welingkar’s Institute of Management, Mumbai, and brings with him over 16 years of rich experience in Human Resource Management. He has worked across diverse industrial cultures and has honed his ‘man management’ abilities at Wockhardt, Milan Pharmaceuticals, Eureka Forbes, Hamilton Group, Dr. Batra’s, and the Jindal & Arya group. Amol is integral to WCT’s success and ensures employee engagement and motivational levels are at their highest, resulting in one of the most productive teams whose work translates into high on-ground conservation impact.
Hemlata Gehlot
Senior Executive – Administration
Hemlata holds a Diploma from the Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Mumbai, and started her career working in the pharmaceutical industry in the Administration department. She has extensive experience in leading administration functions and in her professional career she has handled a range of critical administration responsibilities including front desk, travel, vendor, and facility management.
At WCT, Hema leads the front desk operations and administrative functions including facility management.
Lalit Jadhav
Administration Executive
Lalit comes from a technical background and has a zest to continuously grow in his career. Being forced to start earning his livelihood at a very young age, he continued his education attending night college. He successfully completed his Civil Draftsman & AUTOCAD certificate course, attending classes after working through the day.
At WCT, Lalit takes care of the administration and logistical requirements of the field teams. He also oversees the day-to-day administrative needs of WCT’s Nagpur office.
Dr. Prashant Deshmukh
Head – Human-Wildlife Interface Management
Prashant graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry from Krantisinh Nana Patil College at the Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur. He started his career as a research assistant at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, U.S.A., where he worked on estimating the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in white-tailed deer. As an emergency relief veterinarian at the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), Prashant responded to human-tiger conflict situations in the Terai landscape and managed the WTI Captive Elephant Care programme. Prashant also has experience in satellite telemetry data management and hand-rearing wild mammals.
He is part of the Rapid Response Team at WCT.
Dr. Himanshu Joshi
Senior Programme Manager
An ardent veterinarian with a zest for the wild, Himanshu is a promising alumnus of Bombay Veterinary College, with a PhD in Wildlife Health Management from the Centre for Wildlife Forensic and Health (CWFH), NDVSU. During the academic course of his Masters and PhD research, he investigated the causes of mortalities in gharial hatchlings, used various molecular tools, and conducted field surveys to study kinships in gharials in National Chambal Sanctuary – research which was the first of its kind. As a veterinarian, he has taken to resolving human-leopard conflict situations in Mumbai. He started his career as a Research Associate at CWFH where he assisted in developing techniques and processing samples for species identification and disease diagnosis using molecular markers. Himanshu was part of a team of vets that visited various protected areas in Central India for health examination, disease surveillance, translocation, and treatment of free-ranging wild animals. When not working, he loves reading and listening to classical instrumental music, at times switching to fusion.
Dr. Vinay Pandey
Programme Manager
Dr. Vinay Kumar Pandey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry from the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University, Raipur, and a Master’s degree in Animal Science (Animal Nutrition) from the Chhattisgarh Kamdhenu Vishwavidyalaya. He started his career as an animal husbandry expert with a World Bank project called ‘Nawa Anjor’ in the Department of Gramin and Panchayat, Chhattisgarh, which dealt with livelihood and husbandry practices. Subsequently, he worked as Scientist-II at the International Traceability System, New Delhi. Thereafter, he took charge of the Animal Care Foundation, Raipur (Chhattisgarh), while also serving as a veterinary surgeon at the foundation.
As part of the team of veterinarians at WCT, he works on health examination, disease surveillance, and treatment of free-ranging wild animals across various protected areas in Central India.
Sanjay Thakur
Senior Wildlife Law Enforcement Specialist
Sanjay’s journey began with a Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Wildlife Management from the Ecological Society, Pune. This foundation led him to pioneer crucial field studies, including examining human-leopard conflict in the northern Western Ghats, researching the traditions of snake charmers in Madhya Pradesh, and investigating the Pardhi tribe’s involvement in wildlife poaching for TRAFFIC-India.
As a Senior Project Officer at WWF-India, Sanjay spearheaded the Kanha-Pench corridor programme. He introduced innovative conservation tools, and initiated regular training for frontline staff, laying the groundwork for his lifelong mission: strengthening field-based enforcement to protect India’s precious wildlife.
A recipient of the Sarpa Mitra Puraskar from the Indian Herpetological Society for his contributions to reptile conservation, Sanjay has also authored 17 scientific papers in national and international journals.
Over the past decade with the Wildlife Conservation Trust as a wildlife law enforcement trainer, Sanjay has conducted training workshops for over 6,000 Forest Department officers. He places a strong emphasis on empowering Forest Guards, recognising them as the vital frontline protectors of our ecosystems. Sanjay has played a pivotal role in developing institutional training tools for tiger reserves and forest training academies.
Aniket Bhatkhande
Economist and Head
Aniket conceptualised and built Resilient Futures from the ground up, the social sciences research and intervention team at the Wildlife Conservation Trust. This unique initiative integrates ecological, economic, and psychosocial datasets with the aim of improving the wellbeing of communities around ecosystems and enhancing ecosystem functionality through data-backed interventions.
He initiated a research fellowship in partnership with the University of Mumbai to promote academic research on ecosystem-dwelling communities. These fellows then formed the core of the team and now lead its various functions. Being a young leader allowed him to connect with a multicultural and multisectoral team and create a work culture that has attracted talent from the top schools in the country. In the last decade, Aniket’s role has evolved from being a one-person team to hands-on execution and leadership of the founding team, to creating the next batch of leaders across all functions, and now working as a research director while also helping with fundraising.
Aniket is also a doctoral researcher at the Mumbai School of Economics and has been a visiting faculty member at the University of Mumbai and NMIMS University. He is a law graduate from Asia’s oldest and most prestigious law school, the Government Law College in Mumbai, and holds a Master’s degree in Economics. He was invited to be part of an international delegation representing the Indo-Pacific region on environment and economy by the US Department of State under the auspices of the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Programme. He has co-authored research papers and policy publications and participated in policy discussions at the local and state levels.
Tamanna Ahmad
Lead Implementation
Tamanna holds a Master’s in Development from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. After earning her bachelor’s degree in economics, Tamanna worked as an auditor for CSR projects. Assessing a project in Pench Tiger Reserve sparked her desire to contribute to wildlife conservation. For her Master’s thesis, she returned to Pench Tiger Reserve to study the last-mile implementation of forest policies from the perspectives of both forest staff and the community. This well-rounded perspective, rooted in governance, underlies her approach to conservation action as the Lead Implementation for the Wildlife Conservation Trust.
She is currently focused on research to optimally implement large-scale conservation interventions by building capacities in community-based stakeholders. Using this approach for the water heater project, WCT has reached more than 6,500 households annually—a ten-fold increase while only doubling the team strength to six people. She has driven a unique partnership with the Maharashtra Forest Department to implement the government’s water heater scheme in more than 40 villages.
She is an Anubhav Fellow of the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago. Tamanna has published research on the effectiveness and implementation of forest governance policies, as well as on using ethical AI for better forest governance.
Pooja Dewoolkar
Senior Economist
Pooja holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy. Her interest in wildlife was ignited during her school years as a ‘Kids for Tigers’ participant. After her undergraduate studies, Pooja was selected as an SBI Youth for India Fellow in Dangs, Gujarat, where she worked to strengthen forward market linkages for bamboo products, helping establish sustainable livelihoods for local communities. Her experiences shaped her understanding of the critical intersections between markets, communities, and ecosystems.
She has led economics research at the Wildlife Conservation Trust, applying advanced econometric methods to large-scale datasets to study household-level energy transitions. A strong proponent of data as a tool for equitable representation, she has managed multi-lingual field teams across eight of India’s biogeographic zones to build robust, community-level datasets. She led the impact evaluation for a water heater project which helped assess the shifts in fuel usage patterns among rural households.
Committed to translating research into actionable insights, she has co-authored peer-reviewed studies on policy impact and forest governance institutions. She was a Global Talent at the UNLEASH Innovation Lab, 2022, for SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. She has been a visiting faculty member at Mumbai University and teaches statistics for an undergraduate economics course at NMIMS University.
Prachi Paranjpye
Lead Psychologist
Prachi holds a Master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on Social Psychology from the University of Mumbai. An avid gardener with a deep fascination for nature, she explored diverse ecosystems across India as a nature camp leader. During her undergraduate studies, she also volunteered for the Kirloskar Vasundhara Film Festival in Pune, an environmental film festival. Combining her love for wildlife and her psychology background, she established the psychology research team at the WCT, which she now leads.
She has co-authored peer-reviewed research articles and policy input papers focusing on the behavior and psychological wellbeing of forest staff and communities. Her research areas include understanding environmental identity, environmental injustice, and urban aspirations as drivers of behaviour. She led the research team responsible for creating policy inputs aimed at improving the work environment for forest staff in Madhya Pradesh. Over the past five years, she spearheaded the creation of the largest psychosocial dataset for ecosystem-dwelling communities across India, encompassing more than 30,000 individuals from 1,000 villages and 10 states.
She is an UNLEASH Global Talent and participated in the UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2022. She has also been featured on multiple podcasts and invited to give lectures at MIT (Pune), Flame University, and Fergusson College.
Kishor Bansod
Field Manager Chandrapur
Kishor Bansod has a Master’s degree in Social Work. His professional career spans over two decades with experience in the social development sector across health, education, livelihood, and biodiversity conservation domains, having worked with NGOs, government agencies and CSR. His strengths are community mobilisation, stakeholder management and communication. At WCT Kishor leads the Field Implementation Team for Chandrapur, Maharashtra. He is responsible for programmes which catalyse coexistence in partnership with the community. This includes the award-winning Water Heater Project. Hailing from Adegaon village in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, he has a deep understanding of the local context, its people and their sense of humour. He manages to connect with people with the utmost ease.
His interests are acting, writing, and performing. He has previously worked as an artist in the Jhadi Patti industry of Vidharbha region in Maharashtra.
Manda Chakole
Senior Field Executive
Manda Chakole hails from Utimal village in Sindewahi taluka near the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and has completed MSCIT certification. She has undergone training in preparation to join the police force, has successfully run a food stall for several years, and is also a homemaker. She joined WCT as a Field Assistant with the Resilient Futures team in Chandrapur. She has grown in her role and now manages the Ghodazari Village cluster for implementation of the Water Heater Project. She is well organised, meticulous and enterprising. Manda enjoys cooking and reading in her free time.
Sanika Poyekar
Economics Research Fellow
Sanika has earned her Master’s degree in Economics from the Mumbai School of Economics & Public Policy and presently works at WCT as a fellow economic researcher, applying her expertise to solve data analysis difficulties related to conservation behaviour.
Sanika also practices yoga, fitness, and is a low-key influencer in her own time. She also holds a black belt in Goju-Ryu Karate and has competed in multiple tournaments.
Saee Patkar
Psychologist
Saee has a Master’s in Cognitive Science from IIT Kanpur and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore. She is a trained psychologist, having worked in various mental healthcare settings during her education. Throughout this experience, she found herself invested in the decision-making process of her clients. Intrigued by how social and emotional factors contextualize decisions, she was drawn to research in cognitive and social psychology. In the past, she has worked on projects ranging from field studies exploring the effect of COVID-19 to laboratory experiments investigating emotional states. She believes that, to create meaningful change, one must stand at the intersection of curiosity and compassion.
At WCT, she works with the Resilient Futures team as a Psychology Researcher. In this role, she is committed to understanding communities through qualitative and quantitative study.
On the weekends, you can find Saee at a café, with a hazelnut cappuccino and her ever-present journal, or paused in the streets, adding to her collection of flowers and strange-looking pebbles.
Simran Singh
Economist
Simran holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the Madras School of Economics, Chennai, and has three years of experience as a Senior Data Analyst at Accenture India. Passionate about wildlife conservation from the very beginning, she has actively participated in various internships and volunteer programs with multiple organisations which exposed her to diverse aspects of conservation. This exposure sparked her curiosity about the intersection of economics and conservation – how the two can work together to drive a meaningful change.
At WCT, Simran works with the Resilient Futures team as an Economics Researcher. Her role involves analysing quantitative data to understand the socio-economic status of the communities, helping shape strategies for a better future.
When she’s not deep in data, you’ll find her out in the wild – binoculars glued to her eyes, chasing after a bird, hitting the trails for a trek, or breaking a sweat with a good workout.
Vedic Gupta
Field Manager Seoni
Vedic Gupta earned his bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Delhi University and subsequently pursued a Master’s degree in Wildlife Conservation Action from the Institute of Environment Education and Research at Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune.
His professional background involves actively addressing wildlife-related projects with a keen focus on human-elephant interactions, and he has undertaken projects related to this issue in Chhattisgarh and Assam. Through these experiences, along with the teachings of his Master’s degree, he developed a keen interest in the social dimension of conservation. He firmly believes that achieving successful conservation requires equal consideration of both ecological and social aspects. At WCT, Vedic works with the Resilient Futures team, where he leads Field Implementation for the Kanha-Pench Corridor area in Madhya Pradesh. Besides working on ground, his role also involves spatially anaylsing social sciences data through GIS.
Beyond his professional pursuits, he is passionate about music and has received six years of training in Hindustani classical sangeet. Additionally, he finds solace in literature, particularly poetry, and resonates deeply with the works of poets such as Sahab Jaun Eliya and Bashir Badr.
Suraj Shende
Data Entry Executive
Suraj is from Bodra village, which is located in the Ekara Reserve Forest in Chandrapur. He holds a BCom degree and has completed ITI and MSCIT certifications. Suraj previously worked as a graphics and DTP operator for three years and ran a government-authorised Aadhaar centre for two years in Sindewahi. At WCT, he works as the Data Entry Executive with the Resilient Futures Team on the Water Heater Project, providing the team with backend support, record keeping and beneficiary monitoring. His interest is travelling.
Pravin Nagdeote
Field Executive
Pravin is from Moharli village, which is located in the buffer zone of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur. He studied up to class 12 and completed ITI certification. He has worked on setting up and marketing for a local co-operative bank branch – Bramhapuri Urban Co-op Bank, Sindewahi Branch – worked as a property broker and was previously associated with WCT’s field activities (part-time) on the Water Heater Project and Edutainment Programme. At WCT, he works as a Field Executive with the Resilient Futures team in Chandrapur. He is working on implementing the Water Heater Project and manages a cluster of villages around Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary and Ekara Reserve. He is interested in acting and performs in local plays in his spare time. Apart from this, he also enjoys playing volleyball.
Firoz Pathan
Field Assistant
Firoz Pathan is from Sindewahi, Chandrapur District in Maharashtra. He completed his class 12 and trained to become a driver. His expertise also includes driving of transport buses. He worked as a driver at the PWD office in Sindewahi for 3 years before joining WCT. At WCT he works as a Field Assistant cum Driver with the Resilient Futures Team in Chandrapur. He supports the team in implementing the various field activities including the Water Heater Project. Firoz enjoys working out at the gym in his free time.
Vikas Kulasange
Field Assistant
Vikas Kulasange is from Waneri village near the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. He has studied till class 12 and then completed ITI and MSCIT certification. He has over 9 years of experience in multiple roles as a driver, electrician, and has also worked at an automobile factory. He was a manager at a popular local dhaba in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. At WCT he works as a Field Assistant cum Driver with the Resilient Futures Team in Chandrapur where he supports the team in implementing the various field activities including the Water Heater Project. Vikas enjoys playing and watching cricket.
Arvind Kakodiya
Field Assistant
Arvind Kakodiya is from Baghraj village near Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Family circumstances curtailed his education and he began working as farm labour at the age of twelve. Arvind’s enterprising nature and willingness to learn led him to learning to drive and he began his career as a taxi driver. After several years of driving a privately rented taxi he secured a job as a driver, first with a private company and later with the railways. He has over 9 years of professional experience of driving. At WCT he works as a Field Assistant cum Driver with the Resilient Futures Team in Seoni where he supports the team in community outreach and data collection. Driving is not just a profession for him; it is something he truly enjoys. He also has an interest in traveling and folk music.
Vedant Barje
Consultant (Engineer & Technologist)
Vedant is an Electrical Engineer by training. Before joining WCT, he worked as a STEM educator in Nashik and Ahmednagar districts where he taught tribal and municipal schoolchildren, and also helped design and set up science and STEM laboratories in their schools. Vedant got interested in environment and wildlife from an early age. He was also part of the Kids for Tigers initiative in his school days. He has worked on several independent technology development projects for various organisations. He loves to work on electronics, microcontrollers and microprocessors, and 3D modelling. He is also one of the youngest HAM radio operators in India and has lent his services at different events like the Kumbhmela.
At WCT, Vedant leads the WildTech project that focuses on developing innovative technologies that can help to solve real-world conservation challenges. He has also designed and developed a customised vehicle for WCT’s Conservation Dogs Unit.
Purva Variyar
Head – Communications
An unbridled passion for science, nature, and communication sparked Purva Variyar’s journey as a conservation writer, editor, and science communicator. She has a BSc degree in Biotechnology, and a MSc degree in Biological Photography and Imaging (Science Communication) from the University of Nottingham, UK.
Purva started her conservation career by interning with the BNHS – Conservation Education Centre, Mumbai. She has since gone on to work with the Sanctuary Nature Foundation (SNF) in the capacity of a Senior Editor and Science Communicator for SNF’s Sanctuary Asia magazine. She has been instrumental in running multiple SNF campaigns and events over the years. Purva has also worked with The Gerry Martin Project (now The Liana Trust) where she assisted with the Russell’s viper radiotelemetry research project, human-snake conflict mitigation efforts, animal curatorial tasks, and communications and outreach.
As the Head of Communications at WCT, Purva Variyar is closely involved in building project proposals, reports, and other key communication material. She also leads communications and outreach projects and campaigns. Her core interest lies in popularising nature, science, and conservation, including WCT’s on-ground scientific research and conservation interventions, and communicating stories from the field through popular science articles and content.
Purva also leads WCT’s small grants programme (WCT-BEES Grants Programme).
Shrutika Mulaye
Communications Executive
What started out as an internship stint with WCT in 2019 transitioned into a full-time opportunity for Shrutika Mulaye. Social media and its scope of communication excite her. She is passionate about analysing social media trends, patterns, and statistics, and using them to the best advantage to further a cause. A wildlife buff, Shrutika is putting her unique digital talents to good use by promoting the cause of wildlife conservation. She is working to revamp and establish solid social media strategies for WCT in her role as a social media expert. She has volunteered and worked with various organisations and companies in the communications arena. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Mumbai University. Her thirst for learning more about the digital space is insatiable, and Shrutika continues to educate herself and keep abreast of the ever-evolving digital communication scenarios.
Raza Kazmi
Conservation Communicator
Raza Kazmi is a conservationist, wildlife historian, storyteller, and researcher. His fields of expertise include India’s wildlife and forest administration history, conservation policy and conservation issues afflicting the insurgency-ridden east-central Indian landscape. His writings appear in national newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express), online media outlets (The Wire, FiftyTwodotin, RoundGlass Sustain), magazines and journals (Frontline, Seminar, The India Forum, Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society and Sanctuary Asia), and various edited anthologies. A recipient of the New India Foundation Fellowship for 2021, he is currently writing a book tentatively titled ‘To Whom Does the Forest Belong?: The Fate of Green in the Land of Red’.
As a Conservation Communicator at WCT, Raza weaves impactful conservation stories around India’s wildlife and WCT’s work, popularising conservation practices in both English and Hindi. He also strengthens the editorial department through his vast experience and helps create awareness about natural history and climate change.
Akshaya Elizabeth Zachariah
Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Akshaya Elizabeth Zachariah is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Bengaluru, India. She holds a Professional Diploma in Art and Design from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology. After graduating in 2015, she worked with companies ranging from ad agencies to party decor and in 2017, a leading stationery design store in India, called Paper Design Co.
Her work was recognised by WWF India, and she has been part of a global group of scientists, writers, and researchers under the name ‘WWF Voices’. Her illustrations on endangered species and awareness have featured in a Forbes India article and on WWF’s international social media handles. In 2020, she began illustrating the mastheads of all articles published by Fifty Two (fiftytwo.in), an online magazine dedicated to telling true stories from India, which have won numerous awards.
She has also worked as an independent graphic design consultant for EPIC World, Elevar Equity, and Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) between 2021-2025, and as a graphic design specialist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
After having worked on various assignments with WCT as an independent artist in the past, she now works with WCT full-time as a Graphic Designer & Illustrator. Akshaya brings her vast experience and creativity to the table which is helping to elevate WCT’s communications and outreach efforts.
She has a studio space of her own and enjoys birding, singing, making coffee, travelling, ultimate frisbee, and having great conversations around life, faith, and nature.
Yogi Ramachandran
Website Coordinator
Yogi is a website developer who has a deep-seated passion for wildlife conservation. Prior to joining WCT, he gained valuable experience as a website manager for various organisations in the BFSI sector.
At WCT, Yogi is responsible for a variety of tasks, including website development, regular maintenance of the site and its content, and implementing updates to ensure that the website aligns with the company’s goals and objectives.