2006-7 annual report - Nature Conservation Foundation

i FOREWORD j
In October of 2006, NCF completed 10 years of its
formal existence. This has been a fascinating journey
for us, and at the outset, we would like to express our
deep sense of gratitude to all friends and supporters
who have stood by us and supported our work.
Our research during the year ranged from
understanding the ecology of spiders to developing
techniques to monitor elephants. Research projects
spanned efforts to understand the survival needs of
endangered species to quantifying human dependence
on natural resources. Understanding human-wildlife
relationships and conflicts remained an important
focal area of research. NCF, in collaboration with other
institutions, also expanded its research horizon by
conducting studies on conservation genetics, including
identification of elusive species through molecular
genetics, and understanding species evolutionary
origins.
Field conservation work over the last year
encompassed, as always, a diversity of initiatives, from
running schools and healthcare programmes as part
of community-based wildlife conservation efforts,
to running local livestock insurance programmes to
offset economic losses due to livestock predation by
snow leopards and wolves. Educational products were
developed and conservation education and awareness
programmes were conducted for audiences ranging
from Himalayan school children on the one hand to
workers and managers in tea estates on the other.
Our policy development work with the central
and Himalayan state governments to initiate a national
programme for conservation of the snow leopard and
other Himalayan wildlife, to be called Project Snow
Leopard, has seen major advances, and we are hopeful
that the Project will be initiated in the upcoming fiscal
year.
The PhD programme of NCF has seen its first
batch of students beginning to register. Several new
researchers and people have joined NCF during the year.
We feel particularly privileged that Dr. A. J. T. Johnsingh,
one of India’s foremost conservation scientists,
joined hands with NCF as our full-time Distinguished
Wildlife Biologist. We have also been very fortunate
to have entered into a partnership with the Nadathur
Conservation Trust to jointly promote conservation
and research in India. The NCT has come in with both
resources as well as new ideas, and there are exciting
times ahead for us and our research and conservation
work.
Dr. Charudutt Mishra
Executive Director and Trustee
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annual
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