This volume is devoted to compiling recent advancements, methodological improvements, new processing techniques, integration methods and rigorous applications associated with conceptual techniques on the conservation and monitoring of forest resources for a scientific audience, with a focus on cases and applications in India. The primary objective of the book is to advance the scientific understanding of the recent trends and technological improvements in forest conservation, management and related research themes in forest resources and human-wildlife interactions. The book is organized into five sections: (I) Forest Conservation Ecology (II) Forest Conservation and Society (III) Forest Management (IV) Forest Monitoring using GIS and Remote Sensing and (V) Human Wildlife Conflicts. It covers various research themes related to forestry, wildlife, habitat fragmentation, forest management and human-wildlife conflict research, and therefore will bebeneficial to a diverse range of researchers, scientific organizations, wildlife scientists, biologists, ecologists and planners in the fields of wildlife and forestry. The book will further be of use to post-graduates, PhD research scholars, professors, geospatial experts, modellers, foresters, agricultural scientists, biologists, ecologists, environmental consultants and big data compilers.
Dr Mehebub Sahana is a cultural and environmental geographer with an interest in analysing land-use changes with special respect to spaces, politics, and the governance of the living and materialistic world. His present research interests include social-environmental interface, socio-ecological resilience and systems thinking; geohazards; landscape ecology; multi hazard risk assessment; land-use change; rural-urban conversion and the socio-political implications of land-use dynamics. He is currently working as a Research Associate at the School of Environment, Education & Development, The University of Manchester, UK. Previously, he was employed as a Lecturer/research consultant (2018-2019) at Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC), WWF-India, New Delhi. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Geography (2018) from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. He has contributed more than 50 scientific researchpapers in international journals on issues pertaining to land-use changes and environmental degradation and their links with climate change induced vulnerabilities.
Dr Gopala Areendran is the Director of Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre (IGCMC) at WWF – India. He has more than 25 years of experience as a professional and leader in geospatial technology and has been the driving force of location-based data monitoring and analytics since 2001 at WWF-India. His work at WWF ranges from addressing conservation issues occurring in various landscapes, with a high focus on the tiger, elephant, and rhinoceros to overseeing several institutional GIS based projects. Dr Areendran has an MS degree in Ecology from Pondicherry University and PhD from Wildlife Institute of India. He has also worked with leading research centres like Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Madras Environmental Society (MES), Chennai and Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna University, Chennai. He has published several research papers and reports in peer reviewed journals, and were involved in publication of 4 books in the capacity of editor, and co- author. As a pioneer of geospatial education, has also supervised over a hundred masters and research students.
Dr. Krishna Raj is a Specialist in Geo-spatial Application has done Masters in Geography from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. P.G. Diploma in Advanced Remote Sensing and Cartography. Presently working with WWF – India as Sr. Programme Coordinator (GIS/RS), IGCMC, WWF-India and responsible for all kind of GIS and Remote sensing projects within IGCMC, WWF-India. He has handled Geospatial Modeling and Analytical work in various major research projects of WWF – India during last 20 years. Prior Joining to WWF-India has worked with multinational company RMSI as a GIS Engineer & Lepton Software India Ltd as GIS Professional, got expertise on different Remote Sensing & GIS projects.
