LALA ASWINI KUMAR SINGH

About

Dr Lala Aswini Kumar Singh is an Indian Zoologist with academic degrees PhD (1978), MSc (1974), BSc (Honours) (1972),

In the year 1974-1975 when Project Tiger was a year old and Crocodile Conservation programme had just been launched, Lala Aswini Kumar Singh joined the Odisha Forest Department as a Research Scholar for crocodile conservation under FAO-UNDP-Govt. of India project. For the last 40 years he has been an active ‘Researcher’ on wildlife and biodiversity.

During 1974-1987 Dr Singh conducted pioneering research on crocodilians and other wetlands fauna in Rivers Mahanadi and Chambal. From 1987 Dr Singh worked in Similipal Tiger Reserve for sixteen years. In 1989 he wrote the first plan for management and conservation of elephants under Project Elephant. At the Wildlife Headquarters he looked after research and planning aspects for seven years. As a member of the IUCN Species survival commission for crocodiles and member of CBSG, he has been actively contributing towards knowledge and policy matters on biodiversity conservation from 1982.

Dr Lala A K Singh submitted his PhD thesis on Gharial Ecology to Utkal University in August 1978, but he is just one such researcher in the country who has worked in all the three mega conservation projects on tiger, crocodile and elephants.

Dr Singh has around 300 publications as research papers, chapters, reports, books and popular features that enhance knowledge on a variety of flagship species and their ecological associates living upland and in the wetland.

Dr Singh improved the tiger pugmark method for census and provided insight into occurrence of colour aberration in Tiger. From 1990s he promoted the concept for landscape level management for better future of tiger. He has been awarded prizes by the Forest Research Institute- Dehradun, WWF Tiger Conservation Programme (1999) and the Environmental Society of Orissa, (2010, 2015). The State Government of Odisha honoured him with the State Biju Pattanaik Award for Wildlife Conservation in 2013 for his life time work and contributions. Dr Singh’s work has taken him to study and deliberate on his work in six of the seven continents.

Born in Puri on 19 June 1953, Aswini Kumar held a few coveted positions in Government of India during 1981 to 1987, and contributed to the establishment of Wildlife Institute of India.

Dr Lala A K Singh has instituted the annual ‘Puspaswini Wildlife Prize’ for the best project work / seminar presentation on wildlife’ by Post Graduate students in Utkal University from the year 2004. Currently, Dr Singh is also the President of the Utkal University Zoology Alumni Association. He is Member of a number of national and international bodies linked with wildlife and biodiversity conservation. He is Member of the State Wildlife Advisory Board, Odisha Ecotourism Board and the Research Advisory Committee.

Employment

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Education

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Projects & Funding

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Publications

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