Growing up in the picturesque landscape of the Wayanad district in Kerala, my childhood was a symphony of hills, paddy fields, lush forests, and teeming wildlife.  Exploring the natural wonders around me became a source of joy – scaling hills to witness the verdant valleys of the Western Ghats, trekking through the shola grasslands adorned with blooming flowers, observing the diverse birdlife and their melodic tunes, and strolling along the banks of forest streams. These experiences ignited a passion for nature within me. Fueling this passion, I pursued a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and embarked on a journey with ATREE’s PhD program in 2015. My research interest revolves around the ecology and conservation of wildlife and their habitats in the tropics through robust scientific research. For my doctoral research at ATREE, I studied the historical transformation of the Wayanad plateau since pre-colonial periods and its impact on Asian elephants. On the landscape history, I overlaid the current distribution pattern of elephants and Human-elephant interactions. The study helped to understand the importance of a historical approach to comprehend contemporary ecological patterns, particularly crucial for elephant conservation in rapidly changing landscapes like Wayanad. Expanding upon the thesis work, I have started a project in Wayanad aimed at identifying and monitoring individual elephants. The goal is to gather detailed insights into their behavior, contributing to improved management of human-elephant conflict and the conservation of the species.

PUBLICATIONS:

• Anoop, N. R., Femi, E. B., & Punnath, A. (2023). Butterflies with a taste for elephant dung: Puddling of adult butterflies on elephant dung in India’s Western Ghats. Food Webs, e00323.
• Anoop, N. R., Krishnaswamy, J., Kelkar, N., Bunyan, M., & Ganesh, T. (2023). Factors determining the seasonal habitat use of Asian elephants in the Western Ghats of India. The Journal of Wildlife Management, e22477.
• Vinayan, P. A., Yathumon, M. A., Sujin, N. S., Kumar, B. N., Ajayan, P. A., Muneer, P. K., … & Anoop, N. R. (2023). Pattern and drivers of danaine butterfly migration in Southern India: implications for conservation. Journal of Insect Conservation, 27(3), 505-516.
• Anoop, N. R., Krishnan, S., & Ganesh, T. (2023). Elephants in the farm–changing temporal and seasonal patterns of human-elephant interactions in a forest-agriculture matrix in the Western Ghats, India. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 4, 1142325.
• Variar, A. S., Anoop, N. R., Komire, S., Vinayan, P. A., Sujin, N. S., Raj, A., & Prasadan, P. K. (2023). Prey selection by the Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) outside protected areas in Indias Western Ghats: implications for conservation. Food Webs, 34, e00268.
• Anoop, N. R., Sen, S., Vinayan, P. A., & Ganesh, T. (2022). Native mammals disperse the highly invasive Senna spectabilis in the Western Ghats, India. Biotropica, 54(6), 1310-1314.
• Anoop, N. R., Jyoti, N. A. I. R., & Soubadra, D. E. V. Y. (2021). Cullenia exarillata–a potentially important resource for Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni during a period of fruit scarcity in the Western Ghats. Small Carnivore Conservation, 59.
• Variar, A. S., Anoop, N. R., Vinayan, P. A., Ajayan, P. A., Sujin, N. S., Ali, A., … & Babu, S. (2021). Resident birds show different patterns in species composition and functional diversity in differently managed coffee plantations in the Western Ghats, India. Ornithological Science, 20(2), 185-199.
• Anoop, N. R., Babu, S., Nagarajan, R., & Sen, S. (2020). Identifying suitable reintroduction sites for the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in India’s Western Ghats using niche models and habitat requirements. Ecological Engineering, 158, 106034.
• Anoop, N. R., & Ganesh, T. (2020). The forests and elephants of Wayanad: challenges for future conservation. Curr. Sci, 118(3), 362-367.
• Anoop, N. R., Babu, S., Bharathidasan, S., & Nagarajan, R. (2018). Status of raptors in the Moyar River Valley, Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10(10), 12317-12327.