Overview
- His son, Siddhartha Gadgil, confirmed he died late on January 7 in Pune after a brief illness, with cremation scheduled at 4 p.m. today at Vaikuntha crematorium.
- Reports differ on his age at death, with outlets variously citing 82, 83, or 84.
- As chair of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, he urged ecologically sensitive zoning across most of the range, a plan later scaled down and still not fully notified.
- He founded the Centre for Ecological Sciences at IISc, helped establish the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and contributed to the Biological Diversity Act and the Forest Rights Act.
- His honors included the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, the Tyler and Volvo prizes, and UNEP’s 2024 Champions of the Earth award, with tributes flowing from leading public figures.