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Dr. Ajay Maletha, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ajay Maletha, did his B.Sc (Hons.) and M.Sc degree in Forestry and Natural Resources from H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal and also, Ph.D in Forestry from Kumaun University, Nainital, in affiliation with G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Uttarakhand. He has started his research career working with Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun as a project personal, later he joined NIHE (w.e.f. August, 2012 to August, 2019) and has worked as Research Fellow, Research Associate and Project Coordinator in several Research and Development projects. During this period, he covered worked on different themes of Biodiversity and conservation issues i.e., Environmental Impact Assessment of Hydropower projects, Timberline Ecology, Taxonomy of high-altitude plant species, Land use and land cover studies using RS and GIS, Carbon sequestration and climate change, conservation of RET species, Forest based livelihood options, Disaster Risk management & Socio-economic vulnerabilities etc.
Teaching and Research interest
He is keenly interested in long term studies, in-depth experimentation in determining patterns of responses to changing climate on alpine or timberline plant communities which imperative to the sustainable biodiversity conservations and management of the Indian Himalayan Regions. Additionally, he is interested to investigate the drivers of land use changes in high altitude timberline ecotone and explore the use of remote sensing technology for the assessment of rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species and develop the strategies for their In-situ conservation. Currently, he is actively engaged in teaching, research, scientific paper writing and field work of the Institute. He is also active member of Indian Science Congress.
Selected Research Publications
- Maletha, A., Maikhuri, R.K. and Bargali, S.S. (2021). Population Structure and Regeneration Pattern of Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis D.Don) at Timberline zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Western Himalaya, India. Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes. DOI: 10.1080/24749508.2021.1952767
- Negi, V.S., Maletha, A., Pathak, R., and Maikhuri, R.K. (2021). Expansion of a native species and its impacts on alpine ecosystems, Indian Himalaya. Biologia, 76, 889-899.
- Maletha, A., Maikhuri, R.K. and Bargali, S.S. (2020). Criteria and Indicator for assessing threat on Himalayan birch (B. utilis) at timberline ecotone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve: a world heritage site, Western Himalaya, India. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators 8 (2020) 100086.
- Rawat, L. S., R.K. Maikhuri, Yateesh M. Bahuguna, Ajay Maletha, Prakash Phondani, Nabi k. Jha & Dalbeer S. Pharswan (2019). Interference of Eupatorium adenophorum (Spr.) and its allelopathic effect on growth and yield attributes of traditional food crops in Indian Himalayan Region. Ecological Research, 34(5), 587–599.
- Negi, Vikram S., R.K. Maikhuri, A. Chandra, Ajay Maletha and P.P. Dhyani (2018). Assessing sustainability of farming systems in mountain agroecosystems of Western Himalaya, India. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2018.1427175.
- Negi, Vikram S., R.K. Maikhuri and Ajay Maletha and P. C. Phondani (2018). Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Population Density of Threatened Medicinal Plants of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Western Himalaya, India. Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science. DOI.10.1007/s40995-018-0545-5.
- Maikhuri, R.K., A. Nautiyal, N.K.Jha, L.S. Rawat, Ajay Maletha, P.C. Phondani, Y.M. Bahuguna and G.C. Bhatt (2017). Socio-ecological vulnerability: Assessment and coping strategy to environmental disaster in Kedarnath valley, Uttarakhand, Indian Himalayan Region. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 25: 111–124
- Negi, Vikram S., R.K. Maikhuri and Ajay Maletha (2017). Polygonum polystachyum: peril to biodiversity of the alpine ecosystem, Western Himalaya, India. Current Science, 113(12): 2249-2251.
- Rawat, Lakhpat S., R.K. Maikhuri, Vikram S. Negi, Yateesh M. Bahuguna, Dalbeer S. Pharswan and Ajay Maletha (2016). Allelopathic performance of medicinal plants on traditional oilseed and pulse crop of Central Himalaya, India. National Academic Science Letter, 39(3):141–144.
- R.K. Maikhuri, Vikram S. Negi, L. S. Rawat and Ajay Maletha (2014). Sustainable development of disaster-affected rural landscape of Kedar valley (Uttarakhand) through simple technological interventions. Current Science, 106 (7): 915-916.
Selected Book chapters
- Ajay Maletha, R.K. Maikhuri and S.S. Bargali (2020). Vegetation analysis and regeneration pattern of dominant tree species in timberline zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR), Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Apple Academic Press, CRC Press, a Taylor & Francis Group.
- Maikhuri, R.K., L.S. Rawat, Ajay Maletha, P.C. Phondani, R.L. Semwal, Y.M. Bahuguna and T.S. Bisht (2019). Community Response and Adaptation to Climate Change in Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Satish Chandra Garkoti Skip J. Van Bloem · Peter Z. Fulé Rajeev L. Semwal. Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Functions and Challenges in the Face of Global Change. 213-231. Springer Nature Singapore, 2019. ISBN 978-981-13-8248-2.
- Ajay Maletha and P. C. Phondani (2017). Ecological assessment of alien invasive plants in Uttarakhand Himalaya: Implications for biodiversity conservation. In: Pankaj Sharma, Neha Gautam Sharma and Pankaj Sharma (eds.), Microbiological and Pharmacological aspects of Biodiversity, Discovery Publishing House PVT. LTD. pp. 116-128. ISBN: 978-93-5056-878-1.
- Maikhuri, R.K., L.S. Rawat, R.L. Semwal, Vikram S. Negi and Ajay Maletha (2015). Valuing non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as provisioning services for livelihood improvement in the central Himalaya, Uttarakhand. In: V.K. Dhaundiyal & Manju Sundriyal (eds.), Ecosystem Services and its Mainstreaming in Development Planning Process (eds.), Uttarakhand Science Education and Research Centre (USERC) & Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, pp. 115-139.
- R. K. Maikhuri, V S Negi, L S Rawat, Ajay Maletha, Y M Bahuguna and D S Pharsan (2014). Potential option for livelihood enhancement through cost effective technological interventions for reconstruction of disaster affected villages of Kedar valley, Uttarakhand. Proceedings of National Seminar on Uttarakhand Disaster: contemporary issues of climate change and development with holistic approach. 91-100 (ISBN: 978-8186844-58-8).
Technical report
- Rajvanshi, Asha; Roshni Arora; Vinod B. Mathur; K. Sivakumar; S. Sathyakumar; G.S. Rawat; J.A. Johnson; K. Ramesh; Nand Kishor Dimri and Ajay Maletha (2012). Assessment of Cumulative Impacts of Hydroelectric Projects on Aquatic and Terrestrial Biodiversity in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Basins, Uttarakhand. Wildlife Institute of India, Technical Report. Pp 203 plus Appendices.
Projects under progress (Co-PI)
Assessment of Biodiversity with special emphasis to small carnivores in the untouched mangrove patched along the mangrove belt of Odisha in context of climate change, Odisha, India. (In Progress)
Short term courses/Workshop
- Attended National level training (10 days) sponsored by National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB) on “Medicinal and Aromatic plants diversity, Utilization and their conservation” conducted by Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (A agriculture University), West Bengal, from 01 June 2021 to 10 June, 2021.
- Successfully completed the online certificate course (19 days) on “Remote Sensing & GIS Technology and Applications for University Teachers & Government Officials” conducted by Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS),ISRO Dehradun, from 13-06-2020 to 01-07-2020.
- Participate in summer school training (June 15-19, 2015) on “Geospatial Technology”, Department of Earth science at IIST (Indian Institute of Space science and Technology) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Awards/fellowship
Participate in OJCB (On- the –Job Research Capacity Building) Programme for funded by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan.
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