Sahila Kudalkar
"The world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider's web. If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads. We are not just touching the web, we are tearing great holes in it."
-Gerald Durrell
-Gerald Durrell
I am currently a PhD student in the Sustainable Development program at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. I hold a Masters in Public Policy from University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York (SUNY-ESF). In the past, my work has involved extensive collaborations and trainings with government staff to build capacity against wildlife trafficking, examined the meaning of 'success' in community-based conservation, mitigation use against human-wildlife conflict, and voluntary resettlement out of protected areas. I have also been involved in fund-raising.
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In 2005, it was a slushy walk through dozens of mud-puddling Cerulean butterflies in a central Indian forest that got me hooked on to wildlife. Following an undergraduate education in Electronic Engineering from Mumbai University, I sped off into the Konkan coastal belt of west India. Here, I spent a wonderful year with Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra tracking the disappearing Gyps vultures and working towards community-based ex-situ conservation of Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) marine turtles. Volunteering experiences on issues as diverse as man-wildlife conflict, science outreach, infectious diseases have further shaped my understanding of nature conservation in a fast-expanding world.
My hobbies include bird-watching, running, reading, trekking, doodling (some fun artwork below), and watching the occasional Hindi movie. I also enjoy interacting with diverse audiences about the wonders of nature and the multiple avenues through which they can participate in wildlife conservation.