New Delhi: Eminent ecologist and environmental thinker Madhav Gadgil passed away in Pune on Wednesday night following a brief illness, his family said. He was 83. His son Siddhartha Gadgil confirmed the news in a statement, describing the loss as deeply personal and national.

Gadgil was best known for his pioneering work on the conservation of the Western Ghats and for chairing the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, which produced the landmark Gadgil Report warning against unchecked industrial and developmental activities in the ecologically sensitive region.

A strong advocate of community-led environmental protection, Gadgil often described himself as a “people’s scientist.” In 2024, he was named one of the six Champions of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in recognition of his lifelong contribution to environmental conservation.

Gadgil received several national and international honours, including the Volvo Environment Prize and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. In India, he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 and the Padma Bhushan in 2006 for his outstanding service to environmental science and public policy.