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Ghazala Shahabuddin

Visiting Professor of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University

Ph.D. in Ecology, Duke University, USA

Dr. Ghazala Shahabuddin has a PhD in Ecology and Conservation Biology from Duke University, USA (1998) for which she studied the ecology of frugivorous butterfly species in habitat fragments in Venezuela. She has carried out pioneering field studies in the lowland and mid-altitudinal Kumaon Himalayas and in Aravalli Hills to understand influence of land use change on forest birds, particularly woodpeckers; and to derive patterns of local extinction and adaptation across bird taxa. Dr. Shahabuddin has also published extensively in the area of wildlife policy and politics in India. Her book ‘Conservation at the Crossroads’ (Permanent Black, 2010) critically examines contemporary wildlife policy and implementation in India. She worked as an Associate Professor at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University in Delhi from 2009-14 where she helped develop the University’s flagship Master’s programme in Environment and Development. She is currently researching ecological and institutional change in multiple-use forest in parallel with guide-training activities for nature-based tourism in the Kumaon hills.

  1. Menon, T. and Shahabuddin, G. 2021. Assessing woodpeckers as indicators of bird diversity and habitat structure. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02164-0.
  2. Das, A., T. Menon, J. Ratnam, R. Thadani, G. Rajashekar, R. Fararoda and G. Shahabuddin. 2021. Expansion of pine into mid-elevation Himalayan oak forests: Patterns and drivers in a multiple-use landscape. Forest Ecology and Management 497 (119491).

  3. Shahabuddin, G., R. Goswami, M. Krishnadas and T. Menon. 2021. Decline in bird species and guilds due to land use change in Western Himalaya. Global Ecology and Conservation 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01447

  4. Kumar, R., G. Shahabuddin and A. Kumar. 2020. Foraging niche differentiation among sympatric woodpecker species in forests of North-western India. Acta Ornithologica 55(1).

  5. Ghosh, M., D. Mohan, K. Karanth, U. Borthakur, S. Pimm, A. Harihar, T. Price, D. Mariyam, R. Athreya, A. Saxena, V. Mathur, V. Vijay, M. Onial, G. Shahabuddin,  V.V. Robin, K. Wacker, P. Chanchani, A. Datta, D. Chetry, U. Ramakrishnan, P. Thatte, R. An (2019). Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation in India. Biological Conservation 237: 114-124.

  6. Menon, T., H. Sridhar and G. Shahabuddin (2019). Effects of Extractive Use on Forest Birds in Western Himalayas: Role of Local and Landscape Factors. Forest Ecology and Management 448: 457-465.

  7. Kumar, R., G. Shahabuddin & A. Kumar. 2015. Habitat determinants of woodpecker abundance and species richness in sub-Himalayan dipterocarp forests of north-west India. Acta Ornithologica 49(2): 243-254.

  8. Hudson, L.N. et al. 2014. The PREDICTS database: a global database of how terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts. Ecology & Evolution 4(24): 4701-4735. (International collaborative work)

  9. Shahabuddin, G. & B. Lakshmi. 2014. Conservation-induced Displacement:  Recent Perspectives from India. Environmental Justice 7(5):122-129.

  10. Kumar, R., Ghazala Shahabuddin and Ajith Kumar (2011): How Good are Managed Forests at Conserving Native Woodpecker Communities? A study in sub-Himalayan Dipterocarp Forests of Northwest India. Biological Conservation 144(6): 1876-1884.

  11. Shahabuddin, G. & M. Rao. (2010) Do Community-Conserved Areas Effectively Conserve Biodiversity? Global Insights and the Indian Context. Biological Conservation 143: 2926-2936.

  12. Shahabuddin, G., R. Kumar and M. Shrivastava.( 2007). Creation of Inviolate Space: Lives, livelihoods and conflict in Sariska Tiger Reserve. Economic & Political Weekly Vol 42 (20): 1855-1862.

  13. Rangarajan, M. and G. Shahabuddin (2006). Displacement and relocation from Protected Areas: Towards a biological and historical synthesis. Conservation & Society 4(3): 359-378.

  14. Shahabuddin, G., and R. Kumar. (2006) Influence of anthropogenic disturbance on birds of tropical dry forest: the role of vegetation structure. Animal Conservation 9: 404-413.

  15. Kumar, R. and G. Shahabuddin (2005) Effects of biomass extraction on vegetation structure, diversity and composition of an Indian tropical dry forest. Environmental Conservation 32(3):1-12.

  16. Shahabuddin, G. and C.A. Riveros. (2005). Frugivorous butterfly species in tropical forest fragments: correlates of vulnerability to extinction. Biodiversity and Conservation 14(5): 1137-1152.

  17. Shahabuddin, G. and S. Prasad (2004). Assessing ecological sustainability of non-timber forest produce extraction: the Indian scenario.  Conservation and Society 2(2): 235-250.

  18. J. Terborgh, L. Lopez, P. Nunez, M. Rao, G. Shahabuddin, G. Orihuela, M. Riveros, R. Ascanio, G.H. Adler, T.D. Lambert, and L. Balbas. (2001) Ecological meltdown in predator-free forest fragments. Science November 30, 2001: 1923-1926.

  19. Shahabuddin, G., G. A. Herzner, C. Aponte and M.C. Gomez. (2000). Persistence of a frugivorous butterfly species in a fragmented landscape: The role of movement and habitat quality. Biodiversity and Conservation 9: 1623-1641.

  20. Shahabuddin, G and J. Terborgh. (1999). Frugivorous butterflies in Venezuelan forest fragments: Abundance, diversity and the effects of isolation.  Journal of Tropical Ecology 15(6): 704-723.

  1. Shahabuddin, G. & K. Sivaramakrishnan. (eds). 2019. Nature in the New Economy: People. Wildlife and the law in India. Orient Blackswan, India. ISBN 9789352876136
  2. Rangarajan, M., M.D. Madhusudan & G. Shahabuddin (eds.). 2014. Nature Without Borders. Oxford University Press, Delhi, India, ISBN 978-81-250-56140
  3. Shahabuddin, G. 2010. Conservation at the Crossroads: Science, Society and the Future of India’s Wildlife. Permanent Black, India. ISBN 81-7824-264-8
  4. Shahabuddin, G. and M. Rangarajan (Eds). 2007. Making Conservation Work: Securing Biodiversity in this New Century. Pp. 298. Delhi: Permanent Black. ISBN 81-7824-197-8.

Dr. Shahabuddin was the recipient of a Graduate Student Fellowship at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University (1994-98), Aga Khan International Fellowship for graduate student support (1995-1998) and the New India Fellowship in 2007-2008.

Foundation Course in Environment (FC-0102-3)

Ecology, Ecosystems and Biodiversity (ES1101-1)

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