Centre for Wildlife Studies, India

About Us

Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), Bangalore, Karnataka State, India is a non-profitable charitable trust registered in 1984 under the Indian Trusts Act 1952.

CWS is recognized as a "Scientific and Industrial Research Organization" (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CWS is also recognized by Manipal University, Manipal, Udupi District, Karnataka, for registering students pursuing doctoral degrees in wildlife biology and conservation. CWS has been certified by Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs to receive foreign contributions. .

A Board of Trustees with eminent citizens/conservationists as members oversees the activities of the CWS Trust. CWS has a Research Advisory Board, with reputed wildlife scientists as members to guide its research and academic programs.

Objectives of CWS

To promote and carry out activities related to scientific study, appreciation and conservation of natural habitats and wildlife with special emphasis on ecological field studies, with the objective of generating reliable knowledge to provide a basis for conservation.
To build the capacity of individuals and institutions to conduct research and monitoring of wildlife by conducting both formal and non-formal education and training programs.
To aid and assist the Government and civil society institutions in improving the scientific management of nature reserves, zoos and wildlife habitats in India/Asia.
To undertake studies on wildlife ecology and behavior, as well as on conservation questions including mitigating ecological impacts of humans on wildlife and habitats.
To promote conservation objectives by means of production of scientific articles, books, brochures as well as various audio-visual, video-graphic, photographic and other communication tools and techniques that reach out to a broader audience.

Local Conservationists

CWS has established a strong cadre of local conservation and research volunteers across the country. These volunteers participate regularly in ongoing field programs. CWS has conducted more than 50 field-training workshops at 14 conservation sites across India in which more than 1000 volunteers including Forest Department staff have also participated. CWS field training programs have also attracted and inspired hundreds of amateur naturalists, wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, wildlife activists, teachers, students and public from all walks of life. The primary training imparted in these workshops has been on theory and practice of modern sampling-based methods for monitoring animals populations.