Veteran ecologist Madhav Gadgil passed away in Pune after a brief illness, bringing to a close a life devoted to understanding the fragile balance between people, nature and development. He was 83.
Widely respected and often debated, Gadgil spent decades shaping India’s environmental discourse. As the former chairperson of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, he consistently argued that conservation could not succeed without public participation and democratic decision-making.
Madhav Gadgil quotes on people and ecology
- “You cannot conserve nature by pushing people out. Local communities are not the problem, they are often the solution.”
- “Those who live closest to forests and rivers understand them in ways that distant authorities never can.”
- “Conservation imposed from above usually fails. Conservation shaped from below has a chance.”
Madhav Gadgil quotes on development
- “Development is not free. It always has environmental and social consequences.”
- “If a project claims only benefits and no damage, it is not telling the full truth.”
- “We must slow down and ask who benefits from development, and who is asked to bear the burden.”
Madhav Gadgil quotes on the Western Ghats
- “The Western Ghats are a living system, not just a line on a map.”
- “Damaging the Ghats is not only about biodiversity loss. It affects water security, agriculture and livelihoods.”
- “Once these ecosystems are fragmented, no amount of money can easily put them back together.”
Madhav Gadgil quotes on democracy and governance
- “Environmental decisions cannot be taken in closed rooms by a few experts.”
- “People must have a real say in decisions that affect their land, water and future.”
- “Knowledge does not exist only in institutions. It exists in villages, forests and fishing communities.”
Madhav Gadgil quotes on responsibility and choices
- “Those who consume the most resources must also accept the greatest responsibility for conservation.”
- “Environmental crises are not abstract problems. They are the result of everyday choices.”
- “If we change how we live, we change what we destroy.”
Madhav Gadgil never chased popularity. He asked uncomfortable questions and stayed with them. His ideas continue to shape debates long after his voice has fallen silent.
