DirectorAshoka Trust for Research in Ecology and The Environment
Kartik Shanker the Director of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore. He is an ecologist with interests in inter-disciplinary research as well as conservation action and outreach. He is on deputation from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore where he has worked on various aspects of the distribution and diversity of flora and fauna in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, with applications for conservation decision making. He is also a founder trustee of Dakshin Foundation, an NGO which works largely on coastal and marine conservation and livelihoods.
Shanker has worked on the biology and conservation of sea turtles for the last 25 years, and has ongoing projects on olive ridley turtles in Orissa, and leatherback turtles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He has been involved in initiating national and regional networks for the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats. He has started newsletters and websites and conducted international symposiums on sea turtles. He has also served as President of the International Sea Turtle Society and is Regional Vice-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group. He served as the editor of Conservation and Society for 10 years, is the founding editor of the magazine, Current Conservation. He is the author of the book ‘From Soup to Superstar’, a historical account of sea turtle conservation in India. He is the author of several children’s books, including Lori’s Magical Mystery, Turtle Story and The Adventures of Philautus Frog.