Dr K.S. Anoop Das

Research interests

Forest bird and butterfly communities and ecosystems (gradient analysis in montane shola forests and evergreen forests); Biodiversity and conservation, visual ecology, ecological indicators, wildlife trade.

Education

Ph. D. in Ornithology, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History & Bharathiar University, India (2008)

B.Ed. in Natural Science, Calicut University, India (2001)

M.Sc. in Zoology Calicut University, India (2000)

B.Sc. in Zoology Calicut University, India (1998)

Appointments and research experience

Faculty of Science: (February 09, 2009 onwards) Teaching and guiding research students at Post Graduate Department of Zoology, DGM MES Mampad College, Kerala.

Ecologist (March 01, 2008-till date): Volunteering in various consultancy works of the Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust, Nilambur, Kerala.

Project Officer and Principal Investigator: (July 1, 2006 -June 30, 2007): In a project "Evaluation of Butterflies as ecological indicators, in Western Ghats, India" funded by Wildlife Trust, USA, at SACON, Coimbatore, India.

Research Fellow: (February 28, 2002 - September 30, 2005) in a Project "Monitoring the bird community in Silent Valley National Park at SACON, Coimbatore, India.

Research Assistant: (March 01, 2001 - February 27, 2002) in a Project "Tracing the origin and outbreak of Hyblaea peura through a molecular approach funded by Department of Biotechnology (Govt. of India) at Kerala Forest Research Institute, Kerala, India.

Fellowships/awards/grants

Recipient of research grant of $ 9628 given by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund- Conservation International, Arlington, United States of America through ATREE for a project on "Evaluation of aquatic insect diversity in natural water-filled tree holes and their artificial analogues, in a tropical rainforest".

Recipient of Biodiversity, Ecology and Health Fund award of $ 4816 being given annually by Wildlife Trust, New York, United States of America for a project on "Evaluation of Butterflies as ecological indicators, in Western Ghats, India".

Travel grant to attend the international Workshop, Hymenopteran Training Course, which is being organized at SWRS-Portal, Arizona, United States of America, from Department of Science & technology, Govt. of India (declined the fund due to technical reasons).

Partial Travel grant to attend the Student Conference on Conservation Science, conducted by Cambridge University United Kingdom, from AVMC Ayurvedics, Kottakkal, Kerala.

Scholarship to attend and present research findings at the British Ornithologist's Union annual conference (2008) at Leicester, given by AP Leventis Conservation Foundation, UK (declined the fund due to technical reasons).

Partial Travel grant to attend the Student Conference on Conservation Science (2008) conducted by Cambridge University United Kingdom, from Centre for Co-operation in Science and Technology among Developing Societies (declined the fund due to technical reasons).

Junior Research Fellowship from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India, through SACON, from February 2002- September 2005

Nominated for the "Rajat Jayanti Science Communication Award - 2008" by Department of Science & technology, Govt. of India.

Seminar grant to conduct "Get-together for the planet earth" from Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment for Celebrating the World Environment Day 2009 at MES Mampad College.

Publications

Papers/articles:

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2003. Nest and nest site selection of Malabar Whistling Thrush in Silent Valley National Park, In Proc. of 28^th Conference of the Ethological Society of India, Pp 83-86

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2004. The nest site and breeding biology of an under storey bird, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta in SVNP, Southern India. In Proc. of International conference on bird and Environment, Haridwar, India p 59

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2004. Ornithological studies in SVNP, Southern Western Ghats, Kerala: a retrospective. In Proc. of National Seminar on Biodiversity conservation. S.D. College, Aleppy. p 45

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2004. Butterfly Community of Silent Valley National Park: A preliminary Investigation. In Proc. of National Seminar on Butterfly diversity of Western Ghats, N.S.S College, Manjery. p 23

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2004. Breeding seasonality of birds in SVNP, Western Ghats, Kerala. In Proc. of 17^th Kerala Science Congress Ed. Dr. A.E. Muthunayagam. Pp 183-185  

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. 2005. Insect diversity as a function of altitudinal gradient in a tropical rain forest, Western Ghats, India.  In Proc. of International conference on biodiversity of insects: challenging issues in management and conservation. Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. p 73

Das K.S.A, Ramachandran V.S. and L.Vijayan. 2005. Tree species richness, diversity and abundance as a function of altitudinal gradient in Silent Valley National Park. In Proc. of 18^th Kerala Science Congress. Pp.420-422    

Das K.S.A. 2006. Spatial and temporal variation in bird community structure in Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats, India. In Proc. of Student Conference on Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom p16-17  

Das K.S.A. 2006. Habitat preferences of birds in a tropical evergreen forest at Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats, India. In Proc. of British Ornithologist Union?s conference on woodland birds, and their ecology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. p22.

Das K.S.A. 2006. Record of Nasikabatrachus in Northern Western Ghats, Zoo's print Journal Vol. 21(9), 2410. pdf

Das K.S.A and D. Mukherjee. 2006. Sighting record of rare Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) at Anaikatty, Palakkad District, Kerala, Malabar Trogon Vol (4), 16

Das K.S.A. 2008. Responses of the butterflies to the natural tree fall gaps in a tropical evergreen forest in Western Ghats, India. In Proc. of Student Conference on Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom p 29.

Sajeev T.V., Sudheendrakumar V.V. and Das K.S.A. 2009. Will increased biomass productivity be annulled by increased herbivory? The case of teak defoliator outbreaks in the climate change scenario. In Proc. of International congress on global warming on insect biodiversity. Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. p 73.

Das K.S.A. 2009. An Investigation on the Birds and Their Habitat Requirements in a Tropical Rainforest of Western Ghats, India. In Proc. of 7th North American Forest Ecology Workshop, Utah State University, USA. abstract

Das K.S.A, Ramachandran V.S. and L.Vijayan. Epiphytes on a tropical rain forest tree Eleocarpus tuberculatus Roxb. in Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats. Adansonia (in review).

Das K.S.A and L.Vijayan. The status and ecology of Thumbergia bicolar in Silent Valley National Park (Submitted to the Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany).

Dissertation/reports:

Das K.S.A. 2000. Efficacy of different types of sweep nets. M.Sc. dissertation, DGMMES College, University of Calicut.

Vijayan L and Das K.S.A. 2004. Monitoring the bird community in Silent Valley National Park, Interim Report for the Project submitted to the Dept. of   Forests, Govt. of Kerala.

Vijayan L and Das K.S.A. 2006. Monitoring the bird community in Silent Valley National Park, Final Technical Report for the Project Submitted to the Dept. of Forests, Govt. of Kerala. pdf

Mukherjee, D., Das, K.S.A. and P. Balakrishnan. 2007. Status Survey of Chalcides pentadactylus (Beddome 1870) in Kadalundy, Kerala, India. WRCT Technical Report No. 1, Wildlife Research and Conservation Trust, Nilambur, India. pdf

Das K.S.A and Vijayan L. 2007a. Evaluation of butterflies as bioindicators in Western Ghats, India. Interim Report for the Project Submitted to the Wildlife Trust, USA.

Das K.S.A and Vijayan L. 2007b. Evaluation of butterflies as bioindicators in Western Ghats, India. Final Technical report Submitted to the Wildlife Trust, USA. pdf

Das K.S.A. 2008. Bird community structure along the altitudinal gradient in Silent Valley National Park, Western Ghats, India.  PhD thesis. Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. pdf

Das, K.S.A., Zaibin, A. P. and Balakrishnan, P. 2008. Preliminary observations on the faunistic wealth of Golden Valley Estate, Nelliyampathy Hills, Western Ghats. Report submitted to Inheritance India Land Conservation Company Ltd., Mumbai.