V. Jithin
Researcher, Community Ecology and Restoration (CEROS) Lab
Nature Conservation Foundation, Bangalore

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Conservation Education and Applied Ecology.

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My thoughts usually wander from dense montane forest to the music of sea tides and sometimes conflict with myself on the computer screen. During my childhood days, I used to collect plants and grow them in my little garden. Later, I could enjoy the visitors in the garden; butterflies, birds, snakes, frogs (since it had a small pond as well!), and a lot of small insects. I was fond of observing them, capturing their photos and enriching my collection of feathers, shells, dried leaves, and other materials. They always pulled me to open that 'box of wonders'. I was also attracted by the wonders that a computer can do in terms of programming and multimedia designing. 

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EXPERIENCE

The 'inner me' always wanted to experiment how both these 'outlying' interests can create a fresh platform while doing my Bachelors in Botany from Farook College, (University of Calicut, Kerala), and that resulted in Kerala's biggest students' Ecological Festival namely 'Myristica Eco-Fiesta'. I was deeply engaged in designing and curating the festival for the past four years (2016-2020), as well as learning a lot from amazing people, interesting readings, and memorable places. This mainly includes College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (Mannuthy, Kerala) where I was mentored by Dr A Prasad; and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (Bengaluru, India), where I was a POBE fellow. Experience from Dr. TNC Vidya's Animal Behaviour and Sociogenetics Lab at the centre was wonderful and inspiring!

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During my post-graduation in Wildlife Science at the Wildlife Institute of India, I embraced the Himalayan snowcaps with a heart full of magnificent Western Ghats memories! My thesis on the ecology of overwintering tadpoles in the Western Himalaya gave me a lot of amazing experiences. Field ecology learnings from Dr. Abhijit Das and Dr. J.A. Johnson were astonishing and exciting!

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Currently, I am a Research Fellow in the Community Ecology and Restoration (CEROS) Programme at the Nature Conservation Foundation-India, in their Sahyadri Project lead by Dr. Rohit Naniwadekar, in collaboration with the Conservation Management Plan for Bio-cultural Heritage of Konkan ‘Sadas’ project of Bombay Environmental Action Group, lead by Dr. Aparna Watve. We have carried out some of the first-of its kind ecological studies on the lateritic plateaus of the northern Western Ghats, contributing to the bio-cultural conservation of these unique, threatened landscape.

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At present, I am focusing on my interest in Conservation Education using the rock outcrops in India, and leading a few independent research projects on nature education.