Srivastava takes charge of Wildlife Conservation Society India

NAGPUR: Indian Forest Service officer Prakriti Srivastava took over as country director of Wildlife Conservation Society — India Program from Ullas Karanth recently.
Karanth founded Wildlife Conservation Society’s — India Programme. For nearly 30 years, WCS — India Program’ cutting-edge research on tigers and other wildlife has boosted national capacity building. It’s effective site-based conservation techniques has brought together governmental and non-governmental partners.

Perhaps Karanth’s finest achievement was the discovery of talented conservationists and scientists who are now staff members and partners of WCS India Program.

“Karanth will be with WCS as he writes scientific studies on wildlife data collected in India and represents WCStiger conservation efforts globally,” said a WCS spokesperson.

Committed to wildlife conservation, WCS — India Program inspires and nurtures positive attitude towards nature in people through its scientific and conservation endeavours.

Srivastava has been IFS officer for 27 years, while serving on the Kerala cadre as well as various capacities in the MoEFCC. During this time, she was known for her unflinching support to wildlife and forest conservation, and her ability to catalyse, often at great personal cost, a wide variety of conservation initiatives.

Srivastava and her team has acted against encroachers, wildlife traffickers, timber smugglers and illicit timber factories in some of Kerala's most important wildlife landscapes.

She has also worked with key government colleagues to create four new national parks and improve protection status of other forests.

She has collaborated with local communities on highly-successful olive ridley turtle conservation programme; framed policies for CITES, CMS and National Board of Wildlife.