The Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference concluded on June 16th at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, with nearly 500 wildlife ecologists from over 40 institutions and 20 states in attendance. The Science Committee curated 24 symposia and nearly 100 posters, all featuring high-quality presentations that drew packed audiences. Additionally, the committee organized 8 Special Interest Group meetings on emerging topics, a unique feature that will likely foster new research disciplines and collaborations. There were also 4 panel discussions on topics of wide interest to wildlife ecologists.

The smooth conduct of the conference was largely due to the excellent support from NCBS, particularly the hospitality, IT, and instrumentation teams. A team of nearly 40 volunteers ensured that registration, symposia, and poster sessions ran seamlessly.

We believe this event has given a distinct identity to the community of wildlife ecologists in India. This was evident from the enthusiasm and camaraderie among participants from across the country. Funding and support from several organizing partners allowed us to keep registration fees affordable and support the participation of nearly 90 early-career wildlife ecologists.

Special thanks to Dr. Arjun Srivathsa for designing the eye-catching IWEC`24 logo, Dr. Ravi Jambhekar for creating the beautiful banners, and Antara Kulkarni for designing the posters, name tags, and certificates. We also thank the Organizing Partners, Steering Committee, Science Committee, the National Centre for Biological Sciences, and others for their support in making this conference a landmark event in Indian wildlife ecology research.

Most importantly, on behalf of the Organising Partners, Science and Organising Committees, and National Centre Biological Sciences we thank all the participants who travelled from far and wide to be at the Conference. Their goodwill, passion, enthusiasm, and camaraderie made IWEC`24 a memorable milestone in Indian wildlife ecology research.

Where do we go from here? There was unanimous demand for this conference to be held periodically. The specifics of when, where, and how to meet this demand will be discussed in the coming months among the Organizing Partners, Steering Committee, Science Committee, and others.

Please keep visiting this website for updates, including reports on Special Interest Group meetings, a gallery of photographs and videos from the conference, and any announcements. We welcome your feedback on any aspect of the conference at contact@iwecindia.in.

Dr Ajith Kumar (Convenor, Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference)

Dr Jayashree Ratnam (Co-Convenor and Chair, Science Committee)

Dr Vivek Ramachandran (Chair, Organizing Committee)

Varsha S. Kumar (Coordinator)