Eklabya Sharma

Eklabya Sharma is an ecologist who has worked for more than 40 years on sustainable development in the Himalaya. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of science and engineering, from West Bengal ^[1].

Research

He was born on 11 May 1958 and earned his BSc, MSc in botany and PhD in ecology from Banaras Hindu University ^[2]. His early research showed that the Himalayan alder, a non-leguminous tree of the Darjeeling hills, fixes nitrogen ^[2].

Speaking for the mountains

Sharma led the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment, which brought together more than 300 researchers, practitioners and policymakers ^[2]. The region it covers is home to some 240 million people in eight countries, and its rivers serve about 1.9 billion more downstream ^[2].

He has pressed for mountain regions to be included in global agreements on sustainable development, climate and biodiversity ^[2]. He has served on many international bodies, including as a director of the International Mountain Society and on committees of UNEP and IUCN, and has advised the Sikkim government ^[2]. At the G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, he heads the panel of scientific advisers ^[2].

Honours

He is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India, and received INSA’s Young Scientist Medal ^[2].