Biodiversity and Higher Education: Working towards building larger capacities in biodiversity science.

Research and education in biodiversity in India are not proportionate to the country’s biological wealth and to the immense potential that this wealth has for societal benefits. Over the last thirty to forty years, biology programs in India have emphasised a singular focus on biomedical sciences, much to the detriment of other areas. As a result, the disciplines of ecology, evolution, systematics and biogeography - the foundations of biodiversity science - have largely been ignored. More importantly, there are only a handful of comprehensive and well-equipped graduate programs amongst the various programs in biodiversity science and conservation in India. This policy brief provides recommendations on the pressing issues faced by institutions across the country offering biodiversity-related courses in higher education. Read More