I am an ecologist and conservation scientist, focused on studying wildlife populations and their interface with people to shape landscape-scale conservation plans, policy, and practice. I co-founded Conservation Initiatives, a Northeast India–based non-profit organisation dedicated to science-based and participatory conservation of biodiversity, and to sustaining positive human–nature relationships into the future.
My research interests include applied population, landscape, and behavioural ecology, and I often investigate questions of interest using quantitative approaches that utilise both ecological and social data. In addition, I am keen on the intersection between nature-based climate solutions and biodiversity conservation, particularly in light of the functional value of wild animals in enhancing the health and resilience of natural ecosystems. Overall, I strive to work towards fostering human-wildlife coexistence and developing win-win solutions for people and nature in complex social-ecological systems. I closely partner with local communities to achieve this, enabling me to nurture an inclusive and participatory model of conservation, rooted in science.
In 2006, for my master’s research, I undertook an unforgettable journey into the remarkable lives of the social and sociable, Asian elephant. Being from Northeast India, I am particularly motivated to give back to the region I have called home. That I can relate to and understand local sensibilities helps me design win-win strategies for people and wildlife that are rooted in ground reality, and in a manner that is participatory and inclusive. When I am not engaging in conservation, I am out observing elephants, something I can never tire of! Usually, I also have a camera in hand.
Associate Editor, Biological Conservation
Member, IUCN-Asian Elephant Specialist Group
Member, Society for Conservation Biology
Member, Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Educational Qualifications
M.Sc. in Wildlife Biology and Conservation,
National Centre for Biological Sciences
Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology
University of Florida
For more information:
Selected Publications
Goswami, V.R. (2023) Wild animals enhance climate solutions across social-ecological systems. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38: 913–915.
Srivathsa, A. Vasudev, D., …, Goswami, V. R., …, & Ramakrishnan U. (2023) Prioritizing landscapes to reconcile biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and human well-being in India. Nature Sustainability, 6: 568–577. DOI
Vasudev, D., Fletcher Jr, R. J., Srinivas, N., Marx, A. J. & Goswami, V. R. (2023) Mapping the connectivity–conflict interface to inform conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120: e2211482119. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Vasudev, D., Joshi, B., Hait, P., & Sharma, P. (2021) Coupled effects of climatic forcing and the human footprint on wildlife movement and space use in a dynamic floodplain landscape. Science of the Total Environment, 758:144000. DOI
Williams, C., Tiwari, S., Goswami, V.R.,...Yoganand, K. & Menon, V. (2020) Elephas maximus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T7140A45818198. DOI
Corlett, R.T., Primack, R.B., ... Goswami, V.R., ... Johns, D. & Roth, R. (2020) Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on biodiversity conservation. Biological Conservation, 246:108571. DOI
Vasudev, D., Goswami, V.R., Hait, P., Sharma, P., Joshi, B., Karpate, Y., & Prasad, P.K. (2020) Conservation opportunities and challenges emerge from assessing nuanced stakeholder attitudes towards the Asian elephant in tea estates of Assam, Northeast India. Global Ecology and Conservation, 22:e00936. DOI
Vasudev, D. & Goswami, V.R. (2019) A Bayesian hierarchical approach to quantifying stakeholder attitudes toward conservation in the presence of reporting error. Conservation Biology, 34: 515–526. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Yadava, M.K., Vasudev, D., Prasad, P.K., Sharma, P. & Jathanna, D. (2019) Towards a reliable assessment of Asian elephant population parameters: the application of photographic spatial capture–recapture sampling in a priority floodplain ecosystem. Scientific Reports, 9:8578. DOI
Ripple, W., Chapron, G. … Goswami, V.R. … Young, H. & Zhang, L. (2016) Saving the world’s terrestrial megafauna. BioScience, 66:807–812. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Medhi, K., Nichols, J.D. & Oli, M.K. (2015) Mechanistic understanding of human–wildlife conflict through a novel application of dynamic occupancy models. Conservation Biology, 29:1100–1110. DOI
Vasudev, D., Fletcher, R. J., Goswami, V.R. & Krishnadas, M. (2015) From dispersal constraints to landscape connectivity: lessons from species distribution modeling. Ecography, 38:967–978. DOI
Jathanna, D., Karanth, K.U., Kumar, N.S., Goswami, V.R., Vasudev, D. & Karanth, K.K. (2015) Reliable monitoring of elephant populations in the forests of India: Analytical and practical considerations. Biological Conservation, 187:212–220. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Sridhara, S., Medhi, K., Williams, A.C., Chellam, R., Nichols, J.D. & Oli, M.K. (2014) Community-managed forests and wildlife-friendly agriculture play a subsidiary but not substitutive role to protected areas for the endangered Asian elephant. Biological Conservation, 177:74–81. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Vasudev, D. & Oli, M.K. (2014) The importance of conflict-induced mortality for conservation planning in areas of human–elephant co-occurrence. Biological Conservation, 176:191–98. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Getz, L.L., Hostetler, J.A., Ozgul, A. & Oli, M.K. (2011) Synergistic influences of phase, density and climatic variation on the dynamics of fluctuating populations. Ecology, 92:1680–1690. DOI
Goswami, V.R., Madhusudan, M.D. & Karanth, K.U. (2007) Application of photographic capture-recapture modelling to estimate demographic parameters for male Asian elephants. Animal Conservation, 10:391–399. DOI
For a complete list, see Varun's ORCID or Google Scholar Page. To request a paper, please send us an email.
Conservation
Conserving our National Heritage Animal, the endangered Asian elephant: A megaherbivore that needs large amounts of space and resources for survival, the Asian elephant increasingly finds itself at crossroads with a growing human footprint. Be it the continuing degradation of habitats, increased impediments to their movement, or the negative interactions that threaten the mutual well-being of elephants and people, the challenges are many. I combine my understanding of ecology and species biology with insights obtained from stakeholder engagements to help design conservation strategies that balance the needs of elephants and those of people.
My work over the years has extended from the Western Ghats of South India to the heterogenous landscapes of Northeast India. An ongoing engagement in the Kaziranga landscape of Assam, for example, is focused on reducing negative human–elephant interactions, and thereby facilitating elephant movement between habitats. To design holistic conservation strategies for the landscape, I also lead a collaboration with the Assam Forest Department to photographically document elephants in Kaziranga National Park and track them in time and space. More broadly, my efforts are aimed at helping shape landscape-scale conservation plans and policy that can secure the future of our National Heritage Animal and the well-being of communities living alongside it.
Community-based conservation in Northeast India: In the hill states of Northeast India, a majority of forests are owned and managed by local communities. Some of these forests harbour a wide variety of wildlife and present substantial conservation opportunity. Colleagues and I work closely with rural societies in the states of Meghalaya and Nagaland to effect win-win strategies that can sustain local livelihoods and strengthen the conservation potential of priority community forests. Many of these strategies—which can range from creating awareness to supporting alternative nature-friendly livelihoods—are complementary, and together they strengthen local capacity for, and engagement with, long-term conservation.
Teaching and Mentoring
I co-teach Population Ecology & Estimation at the M.Sc. Wildlife Biology and Conservation Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. I have mentored a number of aspiring wildlife scientists and conservationists in the last few years, including the students below.
Advisor: 2 MSc student (completed), 1 PhD student (ongoing)
Co-Advisor: 2 PhD students (completed), 1 PhD students (ongoing)
Committee Member: 5 MSc students (completed), 1 PhD student (completed)
Professional Affiliations
Courtesy Graduate Faculty, University of Florida
Affiliate Senior Scientist, Centre for Wildlife Studies
Affiliate Faculty, National Centre for Biological Sciences