Aparajita leads NCF’s Eastern Himalaya programme, under which research and community-based conservation with hornbills as a flagship have been carried out for 20 years. She completed her PhD on hornbill biology and their role in seed dispersal in 2000. For the last 18 years, she and her team has been engaged in research and conservation with communities in Arunachal Pradesh and since 2013, in other parts of north-east India. Her work has encompassed long-term research on hornbill biology in north-east India (breeding biology, roosting, diet), hornbill movement and seed dispersal using telemetry, long-term monitoring of tree phenology, hunting & logging impacts, biological exploration in Arunachal Pradesh & new mammal species discoveries, seed dispersal & seed predation; established community-based conservation interventions with tribal communities (health, education, rural energy), conservation education, a citizen science initiative for hornbills (see http://ncf-india.org/programmes/eastern-himalaya). A Hornbill Nest Adoption Program set up in 2011 protects hornbill nests in forests outside a Protected Area, while providing income to people. She has received several awards including the National Geographic Emerging Explorer award (2010) and the Whitley Fund for Nature award (2013). Her interests include plant–animal interactions in rainforests, understanding human impacts on wildlife, and engaging with tribal communities for conservation. She is also currently the Co-Chair (Asia) for the IUCN SSC Hornbill Specialist Group.
Dr. Aparajita Datta
