Connect

Follow

Education

After completing his graduation in Commerce, he pursued Journalism at Kolhapur University, where he honed his writing skills

Experience

Sanjay has been working in the field of wildlife conservation for the last 20 years. Before to that, he worked as a senior sub-editor for the leading Marathi newspaper, Sakal, where he contributed over 500 articles, news pieces, and features, establishing a dedicated wildlife beat in the media. His firsthand experiences while roaming in the wilderness provided valuable insights into wildlife conservation

Joined

July, 2023

Sanjay Karkare

Deputy Director (Environment Education)

Sanjay is a dedicated conservationist and Deputy Director of Environment Education at Srushti Conservation Foundation based in Nagpur, India. Under Sanjay’s leadership, the conservation education unit forged strong relationships with people living on the outskirts of protected areas. Community sensitization efforts led by Sanjay facilitated a deeper understanding of the value of forests, their resources, and the significance of tigers and wildlife conservation. As of the most recent update, Sanjay continues to be an influential figure in the field of wildlife conservation and community sustainability, leaving a significant positive impact on the conservation landscape of Central India.

His passion for wildlife and nature blossomed during his school days as he grew up in the vibrant wildlife-rich region of Vidarbha, includes renowned tiger reserves like Melghat, Pench, Navegaon Nagzira, Bor, and Tadoba. After completing his graduation in commerce, he pursued Journalism at Kolhapur University, where he honed his writing skills. He worked as a senior sub-editor for the leading Marathi newspaper, Sakal, where he contributed over 500 articles, news pieces, and features, establishing a dedicated wildlife beat in the media. His firsthand experiences while roaming in the wilderness provided valuable insights into wildlife conservation. In 2005, he joined BNHS under the Born Free Foundation (UK) project, which aimed to address tiger conservation challenges in the Satpuda Landscape of Central India. He led the establishment of a conservation education and community sustainability unit in Nagpur, which was been focused on the eastern Vidarbha landscape, known as the world’s second-largest unified tiger ecosystem. After working 19 years in BNHS as Assistant Director, he quit the job and joined SCF.

  1. Conducted long-term training and capacity-building programs for various stakeholders, including students, teachers, youths, herders, women, forest department field staff, and eco guides from Tadoba, Pench, Navegaon Nagzira, Melghat, Bor, and Umred Wildlife Sanctuaries.
  2. Conducted wildlife sensitization workshops for forest staff, and teachers.
  3. Organized tour guide training programs regularly that allowed the employment of many youths as tour guides in all the tiger reserves in Vidarbha landscapes.
  4. Reached up to 75,000 students and thousands of local communities from these programs. Their efforts extended to 100 schools in seven protected areas, mainly benefiting underprivileged and tribal students.
  5. Arranged free park safaris for approximately 10,000 underprivileged students, allowing them to connect with nature, by experiencing the beauty of tigers in their natural habitat.
  6. Played a pivotal role in running a conservation education program at Nagpur Rajbhavan, the Governor’s official residence, where around 30,000 students from the Nagpur region visited to learn about the biodiversity of their area.
  7. The unit’s initiatives aimed to bridge the gap between local communities and state forest departments by advocating effective alternatives and schemes through policy influence and advocacy.
  8. Under his guidance, a detailed study on the Human-Wildlife interface in the Vidarbha landscape especially in the Chandrapur district was carried out where this conflict is in serious mode.
  9. Initiated Gobar gas revival program and repaired one thousand defunct gobar gas units in Tadoba, Pench (MP, MS), Bor, and Kanha TR periphery to reduce the dependency of women on firewood collection and to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
  10. Started and run the `Tadoba Bamboo Craft` unit from 2014 to 2019. Ten youths from Buffer village were trained and a workshop setup was established in Palasgaon village of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve as a sustainable livelihood option for the traditional bamboo artisans.
  11. Sanjay has been working for community interaction for the past 19 years. He is well-known among the officials of all the tiger reserves in Vidarbha as a result of his efforts.
  12.  

Sanjay’s dedication and contribution to conservation have earned him numerous accolades.

  • He was felicitated by Pench, Bor, Melghat, and Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve management.
  • He was felicitated with Kirloskar Green Award
  • The Vasantrao Naik Krushi Bhushan Award

He participated in the prestigious “LEAD Europe Sustainability Leadership Programme” in 2013-14, further enhancing his expertise in sustainability and leadership.

Throughout his journey, Sanjay collaborated with various government bodies, forest departments, and tiger reserves in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

  • Member of the tiger conservation foundation of Tadoba, Melghat, and Pench tiger reserve.
  • Executive committee member of Maharashtra Eco Tourism board.
  • Executive Committee member of Maharashtra Campa of state forest department.
  • Eco-development committee member of Pench, Bor tiger reserve.
  • Member of Technical Study group to suggest mitigation plans to reduce human-tiger conflict in the Chandrapur district.
  • Member of State government for forest conservation action plan.
  1.  
  • Conservation education in Nagpur Rajbhavan – TOI
  • News about facemasks distributed to the shepherds in Tadoba – TOI
  • Fuelling a Revival of Green Kitchen – Times feature on Biogas
  • News about women sensitization programmes in Pench, Bor and UPKWS- TOI
  • Looking beyond the tiger numbers – Discussion in TOI
  • Tadoba Bamboo Craft promoting “Green Gold” products, providing alternate livelihood to tribals- The Hitvada – 20 February, 2018
  • Article on all the conservation education and community intervention activities in Central India – Agrovan 27 September 2018
  • “व्याघ्र संवर्धनात मुसंडी” –लोकमत २९ जुलै २०१५
  • गोबरगॅस पुनरुज्जीवन प्रकल्प – लोकमत 2016
  • “पक्ष्यांच्या अभ्यासाचे बदलते तंत्र” – मंथन पुरवणी – लोकमत १ डिसेंबर २०१९

Reports

  1. Preliminary Report on Connectivity of Pench Tiger Reserve and Navegaon Reserve, Maharashtra. RohanBhagat, Sanjay Karkare
  2. Preliminary Report on Biodiversity of Buffer Area of Bor Tiger Reserve, Wardha , Maharashtra, Rohan Bhagat, Sanjay Karkare
  3. Report on Shayamaprasad Mukharji Scheme assessment in Bor Tiger Reserve and Umred-Paoni-Karhandla WLS.
  4. Report on Gobar gas status in Pench Tiger Reserve, MP buffer area.
  5. Report on the status of gobar gas status in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
  6. Report on Gobar gas status in Pench and Bor Tiger Reserve, the buffer area.
  7. Report on human-wildlife conflict in Chandrapur district; submitted to the conflict committee established by State Government.

Under the Human-Wildlife co-existence in Central Indian Landscape project, the following reports are published.

  1. Human mortality by large carnivores in Chandrapur district.
  2. Cattle grazing patterns and their impact on forests.
  3. Crop damage and protection measures.
  4. Bamboo collection scenario in Tadoba buffer.
  5. Forest resource collection footprints.
  6. Fuelwood and women – dynamics and perception.
  7. Community awareness program.
  8. Human-Wildlife co-existence in Central Indian Landscape- Challenges and opportunities.
  9. Wild vegetables collection
  10. Wildlife and human dependency on Mahua flowers.
  11. Tendu patta collection, impact on forests.