The symposium which concluded on Wednesday was organized with an aim to foster communication, identify research gaps and priorities, and develop a shared vision for science-based conservation in Central India landscape for a substantial proportion of tiger population and other endangered species.

Issues related to tigers including their genetics, habitat occupancy, effects of NH-7 on wildlife connectivity, climate change, forest degradation, human-wildlife conflict, governance, to mandates of NGOs and others were discussed.

There was also a special panel discussion on possibilities of public private partnerships to achieve conservation in Kanha-Pench landscape. About 57 academic researchers, managers, NGOs and individuals working in the landscape participated in the event.

Five thematic sessions were followed by a panel discussion by JS Chauhan (FD Kanha Tiger Reserve). Dr John Seidensticker (head, Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and scientific advisor to Global Tiger Initiative) presented the keynote address. H S Panwar, first Field Director of Kanha Tiger Reserve and member of National Tiger Conservation Authority sent a note for the symposium that was read out by Dr Sandeep Sharma.

The organizing committee consisted of Dr Ruth Defries ( Columbia University, NY), Meghna Agarwala (Columbia University, NY), Dr Chittaranjan Dave (WWF Mandla), Ajay Dolke (SRUJAN, Nagpur), Dr Trishna Dutta ( Clemson University, SC), Dr Dipankar Ghose (WWF Delhi), Jennie Miller ( Yale University, CT), Dr Pinki Mondal (Columbia University, NY) and Dr Sandeep Sharma (Clemson University, SC).