Nirmal Kulkarni

Nirmal Kulkarni

Nirmal Kulkarni’s calling card would read something like this: field ecologist, conservationist, photographer, Director (Ecology) of Wildernest Nature Resort, an eco-tel in the Chorla Ghats (Goa), Chairman of the Mhadei Research Center, Founder and Team Head of Hypnale Research Station, Castle Rock and promoter of HERPACTIVE, a study initiative on Herpetofauna. He is also one of the longest serving members of the Goa State Wildlife Advisory Board of Goa.

Over the past decade and more, Nirmal has researched, mapped and recorded the secrets of the Mhadei Bio Region. A Bachelor in Applied Art graduate from the Goa College of Art, Nirmal also holds a Masters in Environment and Ecology from the Indian Institute of Environment and Ecology, New Delhi. He has also authored a book titled ‘The Goan Jungle Book’ which is aimed at educating students in particular and the Goan populace in general about Goa’s lesser known wildlife.

Nirmal Kulkarni’s core contributions to Goa’s environment movement are his training and capacity building of young nature lovers into committed wildlife activists and foot researchers for over a decade. His approach of combining hard-core scientific data collection and grassroots support for conservation has helped create awareness of Goa’s lesser-known biodiversity, chiefly reptiles and amphibians in the state.

He has won several awards – the Sarpamitra Award by the Indian Herpetological Society for reptile conservation in the Sahyadris, the ecologist of the year award by ECHO Goa, the Carl Zeiss award for conservation, the Nehru Yuva Kendra award for motivating youth, and the Big Goenkar award for conservation work in Goa.