Jun 01 2025 to Jun 01 2025 11 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Older than the Himalayas, the Deccan is the oldest geological formation of the Indian subcontinent. Endemic species, some found nowhere else on earth, once inhabited this landscape, teeming with wildlife. Gently undulating plains of endless grasslands and savannah, rocky thorn and scrub jungles, and riverine and riparian ecosystems, were rich with an amazing biodiversity of flora and fauna. Tigers roamed and Asiatic Cheetah hunted Black Buck in high-speed chases across the plains. From Dung Beetles to Sloth Bears, from the Great Indian Bustard to Caracals, from millions of migratory birds arriving in winter, to wild flora rich with life-giving sustenance, this was the Deccan. From the unbearable heat of summer, to the welcome monsoons, the land was vibrant. From cool winters to a short spring, culture and nature tell stories of millions of years of evolution. 

Fast forward to today, and the reality of the effects of unsustainable development. Loss of habitat, rampant illegal wildlife trade, roadkill, conflict with the grassroots level stakeholders, have all taken a heavy toll. We have lost most of our pristine wilderness and over half of our flora and fauna.

This presentation will take the audience through a view of the past, present and future of the Deccan landscape. It will include the work of the Deccan Conservation Foundation as para ecologists, preserving, protecting and conserving the last remaining isolated, unprotected habitats and wilderness, with a focus on the Indian Wolf, the apex predator, and other associated species.

Image Credit: All photos by Indrajeet Ghorpade.

Presented by the Deccan Conservation Foundation.

Speaker

Indrajeet Ghorpade
Conservationist & Wildlife Photographer
Indrajeet Ghorpade was brought up under the shadow of tall figures and pioneers in wildlife and nature conservation. Hailing from the Gajendragad branch of the Ghorpades, his family had a close relationship with nature and natural heritage. 

With a special fascination for the Indian Wolf, he initiated the Deccan Conservation Foundation (DCF) to help save this apex predator that is listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife Protection Act and categorized in the Red List, as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “Preserve the grasslands and protect the Wolf. Protect the Wolf and conserve the grasslands” is DCF’s mantra to help save the wolf, the apex predator, and all the other associated species.

Appointed as Honorary Wildlife Warden of Koppal, he is a conservationist and wildlife photographer, and has established a dedicated team at DCF that is working closely vertically and horizontally with all opinion makers and stakeholders to create awareness, sensitize, and educate the public. Motivated by the ethos that we are the protectors, custodians, trustees and guardians of our natural world on behalf of our children and grandchildren, DCF wishes to make conservation a “people’s movement”! “Just as humans need a roof over their heads to live, so do wildlife, a home beneath their feet to survive,” he says.