K. Yoganand, Ph. D.,

Visiting Fellow



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Education

  1. Ph. D. (Wildlife Science), Saurashtra University (Wildlife Institute of India), India, 2006
    • Dissertation title: Behavioural ecology of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in Panna National Park, central India
  2. M. S. (Ecology), Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India, 1994
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Research Interests

My major research interests are in conducting conservation biology studies, designing experimental and observational field ecology studies, assessing the population status of various taxa, and surveying remote areas. I have specific interests in large carnivores, birds, ants, rare and declining species, and in surveying areas in the tropics. On the conservation front, I have a special interest in endangered species and restoration of degraded habitats.

The general research questions that I am interested in pursuing are: what are the ecological determinants of patterns of diversity, species distributions and animal population sizes. I am presently conducting field surveys to map the distribution and assess the population status of the sloth bear in India. By this, I am attempting to answer what factors govern the distribution and abundance of sloth bears in a human-dominated landscape. I have also started preliminary work on a study on assessing conflict between humans and large mammals in India from a landscape ecology perspective.

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Experience

  1. Research Associate, Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 2002-
    • Conducting a study on mapping distribution and assessing population and habitat status of the sloth bear in India
  2. Pre-doctoral fellow, Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 2001-02.
    • Study on behavioral ecology of sloth bear in central India.
    • Made a preliminary assessment of the distribution and status of sloth bear in India.
  3. Senior Research Fellow, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India, 1996-2001.
    • Field investigator in the WII-USFWS collaborative project titled "Evaluating Panna National Park with special reference to the ecology of sloth bear".
    • Radio tagged and tracked many sloth bears and conducted fieldwork on the behavioural ecology of sloth bears.
  4. Junior Research Fellow, Salim Ali Center for Ornithology & Natural History, Coimbatore, India, 1994-95
    • Surveyed the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve to assess the distribution and status of small mammalian carnivores.
  5. Research Assistant, French Institute of Pondicherry, Pondicherry, India, 1993-94
    • Surveyed the Andaman Islands for birds as part of the project: "The insular ecology and its implications for conservation in the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands", a collaborative project of The French Institute of Pondicherry and Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India.
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Affiliations / Positions / Memberships

  1. Served as a Co-Chair of the Sloth Bear Expert Team of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group (BSG), for a three-year term
    • Established the expert team on the invitation of the SSC/BSG; co-chaired and coordinated the functioning of the team; identified the main conservation issues and prioritized actions needed for the conservation of the sloth bear; and contributed to the IUCN/SSC work including assisting SSC to rework red-book listing of bear species, and assisting the IUCN to prepare Global Mammal Assessment for bear species.
  2. Member of:
    • International Association for Bear Research and Management
    • National Associate Member of the Smithsonian Institution,
    • Natural History Trust, a conservation NGO working in the Western Ghats, based in Pollachi, India.
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Grants / Awards / Honors

  1. International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) Research & Conservation grant to study sloth bear distribution in India - 2005.
  2. Pre-doctoral research fellowship from the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, and the Friends of the National Zoo, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. - 2001-04.
  3. International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) grant to participate in bear biology field research and to attend conferences in the U.S.A. (1998, 2001) and Norway (2002).
  4. John Sheldon Bevins Memorial Foundation, International Association for Bear Research and Management grant to study behavioural energetics of sloth bear - 1999-2000.
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Select Publications

Peer-reviewed papers

  1. Davidar, P., S. Devy, T. R. K. Yoganand, and T. Ganesh. (1995). Reserve size and implications for the conservation of biodiversity in the Andaman islands. In T. J. B. Boyle, and B. Boontawee, Eds., Measuring and monitoring biodiversity in tropical and temperate forests. Center for International Forestry Research, Indonesia, pp: 287-301.
  2. Davidar, P., T. R. K. Yoganand, T. Ganesh and N. Joshi. (1996). An assessment of common and rare forest bird species of the Andaman islands. Forktail, 12: 135-142.
  3. Amrit, M., T. R. K. Yoganand and C. B. S. R. Sharma. (1996). Preliminary studies on the ecology and biodiversity of Ousteri and Kaliveli, two wetlands near Pondicherry. Current Researches in Plant Sciences, Vol. II: 353-358.
  4. Yoganand, K. and P. Davidar. (2000). Habitat preferences and distributional status of some forest birds in Andaman Islands. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 97 (3): 375-380.
  5. Davidar, P., K. Yoganand, and T. Ganesh. (2001). Distribution of forest birds in the Andaman Islands: Importance of key habitats. Journal of Biogeography, 28: 663-671.
  6. Davidar, P., K. Yoganand, T. Ganesh and S. Devy. (2002). Distributions of forest birds and butterflies in the Andaman islands, Bay of Bengal: nested patterns and processes. Ecography, 25: 5-16.
  7. Yoganand, K., C. G. Rice and A.J.T. Johnsingh. (In press). Sloth bear Melursus ursinus. In A.J.T. Johnsingh and N. Manjrekar, ed, Mammals of South Asia. Universities Press, Hyderabad.
  8. Yoganand, K., C. G. Rice, A. J. T. Johnsingh, and J. Seidensticker. (In Press). Is the sloth bear in India secure? A preliminary report on distribution, threats and conservation requirements. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society Centenary Seminar Proceedings, Mumbai, India.

Technical Reports

  1. Ecology, behaviour and conservation of sloth bear in India. Final grant report to the National geographic Society. Grant No. 4702-92. (1997).
  2. The distribution, ecology and conservation of small carnivores in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, southern India. Salim Ali Centre for ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. (1998).
  3. Ecology, behaviour and conservation of sloth bear. Report to the Bevin's Grants of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. (2000).
  4. Yoganand, K., C. G. Rice, and A. J. T. Johnsingh. (2005). Evaluating Panna National Park with special reference to ecology of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus). Final Project Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. 172p.

Selected scientific notes/short communications

  1. Yoganand, T. R. K., and S. M. Ali. (1995). Blackbucks using the Nilgiris eastern slopes: A corridor connecting Moyar valley and Pillur slopes forests. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 93(2): 292-3.
  2. Yoganand, T. R. K. and Kumar, A. (1995). Distribution of small carnivores in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: A preliminary report. Small Carnivore Conservation, 13:1-2.
  3. Yoganand, T. R. K. (1997). Recent sightings of large hawk-cuckoo (Cuculus sparverioides) in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, southern India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 94(1): 157-8.
  4. Yoganand, K. (1998). Wolves in Panna National Park. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society, 95(2): 327-8.
  5. Johnsingh, A. J. T. and K. Yoganand. (2000). Range overlap in dhole (Cuon alpinus) and wolf (Canis lupus) in India. J. Bombay Natural History Society, 97(3): 418-419.
  6. Yoganand, K. (2003). Dancing bears and cub poaching in India. International Bear News, 12(3): 6-7.
  7. Yoganand, K. (2003). Conservation Education: Capacity building through international partnerships in graduate education. Society for Conservation Biology Newsletter, 10(3): 13.

Some general audience / popular science articles

  1. Yoganand, T. R. K. (1997). If bears had horns. Hornbill, 1997(3): 4-9.
  2. Yoganand, K. (2001). A sloth bear saga. Zoogoer, 30 (6): 17-19.
  3. Yoganand, K. (2001). Panna through the seasons. Sanctuary Asia, December 2001, pp. 34-39.
  4. National Geographic. (2004). November issue carried an article profiling my research study on sloth bears in central India, pp. 82-85.
  5. Also published many popular science articles on ecology and conservation in a Tamil natural history journal called "Kattuir".
  6. Co-author of a book in Tamil on natural history and conservation of elephants, which has been rated as an excellent contribution to wildlife conservation and Tamil literature by many reviewers in Tamil print media. This book has been given two literary awards so far.
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Complete Publications

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Meetings / Conferences / Symposiums / Workshops


Some papers presented in scientific seminars/conferences

  1. "Island size and forest bird distributions in the Andaman Islands". Paper presented in the seminar on "Changing scenario of bird ecology and conservation". Ornithological Society of India, Bangalore, India. (1993).
  2. "Sloth bear movements and conflict with people". Presented at the 11th conference on "Bear research and management". International Association for Bear Research & Management, Gatlinburg, TN, U.S.A. (1998).
  3. "Why are sloth bears in Panna nocturnal?" Paper presented at the 13th international conference on "Bear research and management". International Association for Bear Research and Management, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S.A. (2001).
  4. "Behavioural ecology of sloth bear in central India". Paper presented at the 14th international conference on "Bear research and management". International Association for Bear Research and Management, Steinkjer, Norway. (2002).
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Others

  1. Conducted surveys of birds and mammals in many wildlife reserves.
  2. Involved in grassroots environmental awareness and student conservation education activities for many years.
  3. Published photographs in journals such as the National Geographic, Smithsonian, Zoogoer, Sanctuary Asia, and Hornbill.
  4. Reviewed manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal "Wildlife Biology", and articles for "International Bear News", a newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group and the International Association for Bear Research and Management.
  5. Participated in American black bear field biology research in Olympic National Park and National Forests, Washington State, U.S.A., conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in April 1998.
  6. Attended a conservation GIS training course conducted at Conservation & Research Center, Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, U.S.A., in April 2002.
  7. Participated in a training course on "Analysis and management of animal populations" conducted by J. Nichols, B. Williams, and J. Hines, of USGS, and organized by WCS-India Program in Bangalore in August 2005.
  8. Participated in a training workshop on "Ecological Niche Modeling" organized by Global Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Kansas, and ATREE in Bangalore in November 2006.
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Contact

Email: k.yoganand@gmail.com

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