About:
About the talk:
Mathematics has the potential to connect and communicate across languages and systems, which can improve collective knowledge about complex systems. When you speak a common language, you also diffuse the differences and align your forces. Today, almost all species face some degree of risk of extinction due to the sixth mass extinction that the planet is facing. With millions of species, out of which more than 28,000 species of animals and plants are considered to be threatened, it is impossible for even the world’s most powerful supercomputer to identify the possible complex relationships and interactions that maintain life on our planet. This is where we need indicators to represent ecosystems and their complexities. The snow leopard is one such species that represents the health of mountains in Central and South Asia and is the apex predator of these ecosystems. These ecosystems provide services, including water, to billions of people living in the world’s most densely populated region. However, determining the distribution, status and threats to the elusive snow leopard can be a daunting task. To begin with, it is so difficult to spot that even its prey often fails to do so. Mathematical models come to rescue and help not only assess where they are, but how many they are, and what threats they face. Moreover, these models also assist with the assessment of the uncertainty laden illegal wildlife trade that is seldom observed perfectly. It is no wonder that initiatives based on sound mathematical foundation such as the Population Assessment of the World’s Snow leopards have brought together more than 50 organizations from several countries to put aside their political differences and work together, be it sharing data or exchanging best practices. In conclusion, while mathematics plays a critical role in addressing the challenges of biodiversity conservation and ecological management, it plays a much bigger role in conservation diplomacy.
About the speaker:
Dr. Koustubh Sharma (he/him) serves as the Conservation Science Director of the International Snow Leopard Trust (SLT), a US-based charity founded in 1981 to conserve snow leopards and their ecosystems. Since 2014, he has also served as the International Coordinator of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Protection Program (GSLEP), a unique alliance that brings together governments, multilateral agencies, non-government organizations, and conservationists for snow leopard conservation. His primary responsibilities include coordinating research, conservation, capacity building, education, and policy development programs across the twelve countries where snow leopards are found. Koustubh has been actively involved in research and conservation since 2001. He obtained a PhD in Wildlife Zoology from the University of Mumbai in 2006 after pursuing his Masters in Physics in 2001. His doctoral research on the rare four-horned antelope, conducted while working with Bombay Natural History Society in Central India, was the first detailed study of the species. Koustubh’s interests lie in population ecology, conservation biology, policy development, geographical information systems, data visualization, and technology for conservation. He has authored nearly 50 scientific publications and book articles and has presented at over 100 international events.