Dr Bharath Sundaram is an ecologist who enjoys using an interdisciplinary approach to explore and address challenges posed by the dynamism between environment and society. Before joining Krea University, he was an Associate Professor of Human Ecology, School of Ecology and Environment Studies at Nalanda University. He holds a PhD from Manipal University, Masters from Pondicherry University, and undergraduate degree from Madras University.

Dr Sundaram combines his training in the ecological sciences with the application of theoretical and empirical advances from related domains such as environmental history, subaltern studies, ethnography, and environmental politics, to interrogate the roots of our contemporary environmental crisis. He has research interests in the fields of biodiversity, plant ecology, conservation studies, sustainability and political ecology. His teaching areas include Tools and Methods in Environmental Studies, Sustainability and Climate Change, Ecology and Development, Political Ecology of Biodiversity Conservation, Environmental Communication and Scientific Reasoning.

In the past, Dr Sundaram has worked on human-elephant conflict, tiger and prey monitoring, and the socio-ecological implications of alien invasive species spread in forests. His current work includes the long-term monitoring of a social-ecological system in the Western Ghats, and a pan-Indian, data-driven project on forests, human population, and biodiversity conservation. His research has been funded by the International Foundation for Science (Sweden), International Social Science Council (France), and the National Geographic Society (USA).

Dr Sundaram enjoys using the classroom environment to nudge students towards deeper comprehension and critical analysis. When in class or when interacting with students outside, he is constantly thinking about how best to make teaching and learning more relevant in this information age where a data glut has not been particularly commensurate with knowledge generation. He grew up in the city of Madras (now Chennai). He enjoyed playing badminton and basketball till a torn anterior cruciate ligament made him switch to table tennis. He is an avid film buff, amateur photographer, and a cook. He specialises in putting a complete meal together in 40 minutes, starting from scratch.

Research

• Biodiversity Studies
• Plant Ecology
• Conservation Studies
• Social-ecological Systems
• Political Ecology

Publications

1. Sundaram, Bharath, and N. Parthasarathy. “Tree growth, mortality and recruitment in four tropical wet evergreen forest sites of the Kolli hills, eastern ghats, India.” Tropical ecology43.2 (2002): 275-286.

2. Hiremath, Ankila J., and Bharath Sundaram. “The fire-lantana cycle hypothesis in Indian forests.” Conservation and Society(2005): 26-42.

3. Sundaram, Bharath, and Ankila J. Hiremath. “Lantana camara invasion in a heterogeneous landscape: patterns of spread and correlation with changes in native vegetation.” Biological Invasions 14.6 (2012): 1127-1141.

4. Sundaram, Bharath, et al. “Ecology and impacts of the invasive species, Lantana camara, in a social-ecological system in South India: perspectives from local knowledge.” Human Ecology 40.6 (2012): 931-942.

5. Hiremath, Ankila J., and Bharath Sundaram. “Invasive plant species in Indian protected areas: conserving biodiversity in cultural landscapes.” Plant invasions in protected areas(2013): 241-266.

6. Shiue I, Samberg L, Kulohoma B, Dogaru D, Wyborn C, Hamel P, Jørgensen PS, Lussier P, Sundaram B, Lim M, Tironi A. 2014 Future Earth Young Scientists Conference on integrated science and knowledge co-production for ecosystems and human well-being. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2014 Nov;11(11):11553-8.

7. Sundaram, Bharath, J. Ankila Hiremath, and Jagdish Krishnaswamy. “Factors influencing the local scale colonisation and change in density of a widespread invasive plant species, Lantana camara, in South India.” NeoBiota 25 (2015): 27-46.

8. Varma, Varun, et al. “Perceptions of priority issues in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems in India.” Biological Conservation 187 (2015): 201-211.

9. Hiremath, Ankila J., Prasad Ayesha, and Sundaram Bharath. “Restoring Lantana camara invaded tropical deciduous forest: the response of native plant regeneration to two common Lantana removal practices.” Indian Forester 144.6 (2018): 545-552.

10. Bharath Sundaram, Geetha Ramaswamy, Mridula Paul, Ankila J. Hiremath. “Synergistic Impacts of Invasive Alien Species and Climate Change: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation.” Pages 212-229 In: JR Bhatt, Arundhati Das, Kartik Shanker (eds.) Biodiversity and Climate Change: An Indian Perspective (2018). Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India.

Teaching Modules

• Tools and Methods in Environmental Studies
• Political Ecology of Biodiversity Conservation
• Forest Futures
• Engaging With the Environment