Sohail Madan
An Ecologist, Author, and Educator, currently serves as the Director of WildTales, a sustainability collective operating under Spoondrift (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. Previously, he held the position of Assistant Director at the Bombay Natural History Society in Delhi for over a decade. His notable achievements include the planning and development of North India's largest butterfly park within Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, showcasing his commitment to biodiversity preservation.
Additionally, he has provided valuable guidance to the Department of Forests and Wildlife, Government of NCT of Delhi, on various restoration projects and biodiversity surveys. As an advocate of seed banks, he operated native plant nurseries and has established over 85 butterfly parks nationwide. He led the conceptualization of citizen science monitoring programs including Big Butterfly Month, Dragonfly Festival, and Delhi Moth Week. He also spearheaded the development of India’s first butterfly habitat within an industrial zone in collaboration with Bridgestone India in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
Furthermore, he initiated the Green Skill Development program for the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India in 2019. He has implemented the training for front-line forest staff of the Dept. of Forest, Govt of Madhya Pradesh, while he also oversees the regional education centres at Bharatpur (Rajasthan) and Bhagalpur (Bihar). Sohail has also supported organising various bird and butterfly centric festivals across the nation as well as conducted biodiversity surveys in Delhi, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on behalf of various conservation organizations. Recognized for his contributions, he received the Dr. B Kiowta Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 from the Indian Dragonfly Society and served as a member of the Delhi Ridge Management Board.