Malyasri Bhattacharya
- Project name: Mapping hopes: Identifying and conserving priority White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) habitats through community action in Himachal Pradesh, India
- Project site: Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
- EDGE species: White-rumped Vulture, Gyps bengalensis
- Active: 2025 - ongoing
Biography
Malyasri is a PhD scholar at the Wildlife Institute of India, where she investigates the breeding ecology and social behaviour of vultures in Himachal Pradesh. With over ten years of field experience, she has contributed to various conservation initiatives across India — from raptor ecology and wind farm impacts to habitat preservation for migratory cranes. Her research integrates ornithology, behavioural ecology, and landscape-level threat assessments, with an increasing focus on community-based conservation.
Malyasri is especially passionate about reversing the decline of vultures in India and empowering marginalised communities—such as the Chamars, Gaddis, and Gujjars—to become stewards of vulture habitats. Through the EDGE Fellowship, she seeks to gather comprehensive ecological data on the White-rumped vulture while raising local awareness and developing ecotourism models that support both conservation and livelihoods.
EDGE Project
Malyasri’s vision is a future where White-rumped vultures soar once more above the Western Himalayas, their habitats protected and valued by the communities who share the landscape.
Her EDGE Fellowship will focus on understanding the nesting and feeding ecology of the White-rumped vulture in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh—home to one of India’s last remaining wild populations of this critically endangered species. She will analyse GPS-tag data and nest-site characteristics to identify key conservation areas, and collaborate with local communities to protect open carcass disposal sites and establish vulture-safe zones. The project will also raise awareness through outreach campaigns, school workshops, and a national Vulture Festival, helping to change perceptions and foster pride in this essential scavenger species.
