ATREE chief Bawa elected to US Academy of Sciences

ATREE chief Kamala Bawa is also an elected fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the American Philosophical Society.

India-born conservation biologist Dr Kamal Bawa, who is also president of the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research and Ecology and Environment (ATREE), has been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences yesterday, according to a statement by ATREE.

Dr Kamal Bawa, who is also president of the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research and Ecology and Environment (ATREE), has been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences yesterday, according to a statement by ATREE (Twitter/ATREE)

“The election is the reaffirmation of our important work on the ecology, conservation, and management of tropical forests that are declining all over the world but are critical to humanity’s well-being,” Bawa said in the statement shared with the media on Wednesday. He added that the election to the 170-year-old academy is a recognition of the significant contributions to science by its members.

Dr Bawa is also an elected fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the American Philosophical Society.

According to the statement, Dr Bawa had brought together a few scientists from India’s leading institutions to develop the National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing under the banner of the Biodiversity Collaborative which got the backing of the office of the principal scientific adviser to the Government of India and is currently funded by the Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.

“Biodiversity is an integral part of our lives and the ways we can enhance and use it to secure food and nutrition, fight climate change, and restore our degraded landscapes are some of the important goals of the mission in making,” said Rohini Nilekani.

“Kamal Bawa’s election underscores the importance of our biodiversity and ATREE’s important work in this crucial area that is important for our future,” professor P Balaram, former director of the Indian Institute of Science, and co-chair of ATREE’s board of trustees said in a statement.