Who was Madhav Gadgil? Environmental scientist who shaped India’s green movement dies in Pune

Senior environmental scientist Madhav Gadgil has died at his residence in Pune, marking the passing of one of the most influential figures in the evolution of India’s environmental thought and policy.

Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil was a pioneering ecologist, academic, writer and public intellectual, widely regarded as a foundational voice in Indian environmentalism. He was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, which emerged as one of the country’s leading hubs for ecological research. Over several decades, Gadgil combined rigorous scientific work with a strong advocacy for decentralised, community-led environmental governance.

He was best known nationally for chairing the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel in 2010, whose recommendations — later referred to as the Gadgil Committee or Gadgil Commission report — called for stringent protections for the ecologically fragile Western Ghats. The report sparked intense political and public debate, drawing both praise for its scientific integrity and criticism from stakeholders concerned about its economic implications.

Gadgil served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India and received numerous international and national honours for his contributions. These included the Volvo Environment Prize, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Padma Shri in 1981 and the Padma Bhushan in 2006. In 2024, he was recognised with the Champions of the Earth award, cementing his legacy as a scientist who reshaped India’s environmental discourse.