It is a matter of pride for an IFS officer to be heading a tiger reserve, and more so if it is officially the second best managed one in the country. Dr. P Ramesh is currently in that enviable position as the Field Director of Bandipur National Park, which officially wears the ‘second best managed tiger reserve’ crown. The reserve also has the highest number of tigers, leopard and elephants and is home to many endangered species (aquatic and avian), and have been consistently showing positive trends in conservation across all species.
This happened over a period marked by acute planning, strategising, and hard work using latest technology. Using a hitech tracking and alert system, the park has set an example in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. At the same time, outreach programmes like ‘Bandipur Yuva Mitra’ has helped in connecting school students, teachers and the tribal people to the forest and wildlife.
All this has been possible because of the leadership of Field Director Dr. P Ramesh.
In this exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the IFS officer talks about conservation in the Western Ghats, calling the ghats the ‘Mecca of Wildlife’. He also narrates his experience of taking PM Narendra Modi on a jungle safari.
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