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Ankila Hiremath has a PhD in Botany (Ecology) from the University of Florida (1999). She is currently principal coordinator for collaborations in forest ecology and conservation at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore.
Her research has been on questions related to conservation, restoration, and sustainable resource use, at the interface of human and natural systems. She has worked over the past two and a half decades in forests and savannas of the Biligiri Rangan Hills in Karnataka and the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, and in the Banni grasslands of Kutch. Much of this work has been on the ecological, socioeconomic, and human-wellbeing impacts of invasive alien species and their management for habitat restoration, and the role of invasive alien species in novel social-ecological systems. She is also interested in the ecology of fires, and the potential role of historical fire regimes, especially cultural burning, in savannas, in the context of climate change.
Apart from her research she is interested in how conservation science can be communicated to wider audiences. She had the privilege of working with the conservation magazine, Current Conservation, in its early years and to help co-start the magazine’s children’s supplement, CC Kids. She currently collaborates with colleagues on a citizen science project, Mapping Invasive Alien Plants, to create an Indian atlas of invasive plants and to raise awareness about invasive species with the involvement of interested volunteers.
Articles and book chapters
Sharma, K., Mathur, M., Hiremath, A. J., Vanak, A. T., Ravi, R., Niphadkar, M., Thorat, O., & Jagdish, N. (2024). Modelling the Banni social-ecological system using participatory system dynamics for building insights on invasive species management and stakeholder engagement. Journal of Environmental Management, 371, 122899. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2024.122899
Roy, H., et al. 2024. Curbing the major and growing threats from invasive alien species is urgent and achievable. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02412-w
Bhan, M., C. Misher, A. Kulkarni, A.J. Hiremath, & A.T. Vanak 2024. Ecosystem restoration can lead to carbon recovery in semiarid savanna grasslands in India. Restoration Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14199
Ravi, R. & A.J. Hiremath. 2024. The plural realities of plant invasions in India: A review of impacts to wellbeing. Environmental Development. Vol 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2024.101003
Rehel, S.M., R.S.R. Raj, S. Thomas, M. Bunyan, A. Varghese & A.J. Hiremath 2023. Mapping invasive alien plants through citizen science: shortlisting species of concern for the Nilgiris. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(11): 24266–24276. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8576.15.11.24266-24276
Nerlekar, A. N., Munje, A., Mhaisalkar, P., Hiremath, A. J., & Veldman, J. W. 2023. Tillage agriculture and afforestation threaten tropical savanna plant communities across a broad rainfall gradient in India. Journal of Ecology, 00, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14221
Bacher, S., Galil, B. S., Nuñez, M. A., Ansong, M., Cassey, P., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Fayvush, G., Hiremath, A. J., Ikegami, M., Martinou, A. F., McDermott, S. M., Preda, C., Vilà, M., Weyl, O. L. F., Fernandez, R. D., and Ryan-Colton, E. 2023. Chapter 4: Impacts of biological invasions on nature, nature’s contributions to people, and good quality of life. In: Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Roy, H. E., Pauchard, A., Stoett, P., and Renard Truong, T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7430731
Date, A.A., A.J. Hiremath, A.A. Joshi, S. Lele. 2023. Silvicultural Practices in the Management of Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) Leaf Production: Options and Trade-offs. Economic Botany. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-023-09572-z
Nerlekar, A.N., N. Mehta, R. Pokar, M. Bhagwat, C. Misher, P.Joshi, A.J. Hiremath. 2021. Removal or utilisation? Testing alternative approaches to the management of an invasive woody legume in an arid Indian grassland. Restoration Ecology e13477. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13477
Rai N. D., M. S. Devy, T. Ganesh, R. Ganesan, S. R. Setty, A. J. Hiremath, S. Khaling, P. Dharma Rajan. 2021. Beyond fortress conservation: The long-term integration of natural and social science research for an inclusive conservation practice in India. Biological Conservation 254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108888.
Sundaram, B., G. Ramaswami, M. Paul and A.J. Hiremath. 2018. Synergistic Impacts of Invasive Alien Species and Climate Change: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation Pp 212-229. In: JR Bhatt, A.A. Das, and K. Shanker (eds.). Biodiversity and Climate Change: An Indian Perspective. New Delhi, India: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
Hiremath, A.J., A. Prasad, B. Sundaram. 2018. Restoring Lantana camara invaded tropical deciduous forest: The response of native plant regeneration to two common Lantana removal practices. Indian Forester 144: 545-552
Thekaekara T., A.T. Vanak, A.J. Hiremath, N. Rai, J. Ratnam, R. Sukumar. 2017. Notes from the other side of a forest fire, Economic and Political Weekly 52: 22-25
Hiremath, A.J., N.D. Rai, and C. Made Gowda. 2017. One size needn’t fit all: conservation lessons from long-term research in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, South India. Pp. 60-70. In: A.J. Hiremath, N.D. Rai, and A. Siddhartha. (eds). Transcending boundaries. Reflecting on twenty years of action and research at ATREE. ATREE, Bangalore.
Vanak, A.T., A.J. Hiremath, S. Krishnan, T. Ganesh, and N.D. Rai, 2017. Filling in the (forest) blanks: the past, present and future of India’s savanna grasslands. Pp 88-93. In: A.J. Hiremath, N.D. Rai, and A. Siddhartha. (eds). Transcending boundaries. Reflecting on twenty years of action and research at ATREE. ATREE, Bangalore.
Sundaram B., Hiremath A.J., and Krishnaswamy J. 2015. Factors influencing the local scale colonisation and change in density of a widespread invasive plant species, Lantana camara, in South India. NeoBiota 25: 27-46. DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.25.8354
Hiremath A.J., B Sundaram. 2013. Invasive species in Indian protected areas: Conserving biodiversity in cultural landscapes. Contributed chapter. Pp. 241-288. In: L. Foxcroft, D.M. Richardson, P. Pysek, and P. Genovesi (eds.). Alien Plant Invasions in Protected Areas. A Global Assessment. Springer.
Sundaram B., S. Krishnan, A.J. Hiremath, G. Joseph. 2012. Ecology and impacts of the invasive species, Lantana camara, in a social-ecological system in South India: Perspectives from local knowledge. Human Ecology 40: 931-942. DOI: 10.1007/s10745-012-9532-1
Sundaram B., and A.J. Hiremath. 2011. Lantana camara invasion in a heterogeneous landscape: patterns of spread and correlation with changes in native vegetation. Biological Invasions 14: 1127-1141. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-011-0144-2
Hiremath A.J., and M. Agrawal. (eds). 2010. Plant invasion and environmental pollution: Causes of concern. Tropical Ecology. 51 (3S) Special Issue
Hiremath A.J., and M. Agrawal. 2010. Plant invasion and environmental pollution: Causes of concern. Tropical Ecology 51 (2S): 303-304.
Teegalapalli K., A.J. Hiremath, and D. Jathana. 2010. Patterns of seed rain and seedling regeneration in abandoned agricultural clearings in a seasonally dry tropical forest in India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 26: 25-33.
Teegalapalli K., A.J. Hiremath, and D. Jathana. 2009. The role of perches in accelerating seed arrival in human-abandoned clearings within Bhadra Tiger Reserve, India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 105: 317-322.
Powers J., R.A. Montgomery, E.C. Adair, F.Q. Brearley, S.J. DeWalt, C.T. Castanho, J. Chave, E. Deinert, J.U. Ganzhorn, M.E. Gilbert, J.A. González-Iturbe, S. Bunyavejchewin, H.R. Grau, K.E. Harms, A. Hiremath, S. Iriarte-Vivar, E. Manzane, A.A. de Oliveira, L. Poorter, J-B. Ramanamanjato, C. Salk, A. Varela, G.D. Weiblen, and M.T. Lerdau. 2009. Decomposition in tropical forests: a pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and faunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient. Journal of Ecology 97: 801-811.
Hiremath A.J., and B. Sundaram. 2005. The fire-lantana cycle hypothesis in Indian forests. Conservation and Society 3: 26-42. http://www.conservationandsociety.org/vol-3-1-05.html
Ewel J.J., and A.J. Hiremath. 2005. Plant-plant interactions. pp. 3-34 in: D. Burslem, M. Pinard, and S. Hartley (eds.) Biotic Interactions in the Tropics. Cambridge University Press.
Hiremath A.J. 2004. (ed.) Special Section on Non-Timber Forest Products. Conservation and Society 2: 211-375. http://www.conservationandsociety.org/vol-2-2-04.html
Hiremath A.J. 2004. The ecological consequences of managing forests for non-timber products. Conservation and Society 2: 211-216. http://www.conservationandsociety.org/vol-2-2-04.html
Hiremath A.J., J.J. Ewel, and T.G. Cole. 2002. Productivity, nutrient retention, and nutrient use efficiency in three fast-growing tropical trees. Forest Science 48: 662-672.
Hiremath A.J., and J.J. Ewel. 2001. Ecosystem nutrient use efficiency, productivity, and nutrient accrual in model tropical communities. Ecosystems 4: 669-682.
Hiremath A.J. 2000. Photosynthetic nutrient use efficiency in three fast-growing tropical trees with contrasting leaf longevities. Tree Physiology 20: 937-944.
Ewel J.J., and A.J. Hiremath. 1998. Nutrient use efficiency and the management of degraded lands. pp. 199-215. In: B. Gopal, P.S. Pathak and K.G. Saxena (eds.). Ecology Today: An Anthology of Contemporary Ecological Research. International Scientific Publications, New Delhi, India.
Books
Raj, R.S.R., A. P. Madhavan, T. R. S. Raman, D. Mudappa, A. Varghese, and A.J. Hiremath. 2023. Guests Who Never Left: Common Invasive Alien Plants of Peninsular India. Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, and Biodiversity Collaborative, Bengaluru. https://www.ncf-india.org/blog/guests-who-never-left-2
Hiremath, A.J., N.D. Rai, and A. Siddhartha. 2017. (eds). Transcending boundaries. Reflecting on twenty years of action and research at ATREE. ATREE, Bangalore.
Uma Shaanker R., A.J. Hiremath, G. Joseph, and N.D. Rai. 2009. (eds). Non-Timber Forest Products Conservation, Management and Policy in the Tropics. ATREE, Bangalore.
Miscellaneous (reports, popular articles, etc.)
Raghurama, M., Dutta, S., Nair, T., Sankaran, M., Shankar Raman, T. R., Mudappa, D., Osuri. A.M., Krishnaswamy, J., Ramakrishnan, U, Pandit, N., Krishen, P., Nerlekar, A., Agrawal, I., Blanchflower, P., Borawake, N., Bosco, G.V., Das, A., Datar, M., Datta, A., Dixit, A.M., Ghate, K., Hiremath, A., Joshi, P., Joshi, A., Joshua, J., Khan, D., Kumar, V., Nandikar, M., Naniwadekar, R., Narayan, G., Negi, V.S., Rao, S., Rehel, S.M., Saberwal, V., Saxena, V., Varghese, A., Watve, A., Yadav, S.R., Chellam, R. & Bawa, K. (2023). Restoring India’s Terrestrial Ecosystems: Needs, Challenges and Policy recommendations. Report, National Mission on Biodiversity & Human well being. Biodiversity Collaborative, Bengaluru, India. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8233376
Hiremath, A.J. 2023. Celebrating Green Milestones. Review of At the Feet of Living Things, by Aparajita Datta, Rohan Arthur and T R Shankar Raman (eds.). Biblio. Volume 28. July-September 20234
Hiremath, A.J. 2023. The ecological footprint of invasive species. Nature in Focus. 31 August 2023. https://www.natureinfocus.in/the-restoration-notebook/the-ecological-footprint-of-invasive-plants
Nerlekar, A., A.J. Hiremath. 2022. Restoring Indian grasslands does not require disturbing soil and planting grasses, but more science. Mongabay. 8 August, 2022. https://india.mongabay.com/2022/08/commentary-restoring-indian-grasslands-does-not-require-disturbing-soil-and-planting-grasses-but-more-science/
Hiremath, A.J., A. Nerlekar. 2022. Science and traditional knowledge, not ploughing, to restore Banni’s ancient grasslands. (In Gujarati.) Kutch Mitra. 16 July 2022.
Bacher, Sven, Galil, Bella, Nuñez, Martin, Ansong, Michael, Cassey, Phill, Dehnen-Schmutz, Katharina, Fayvush, Georgi, Hiremath, Ankila, Ikegami, Makihiko, Martinou, Angeliki-Kelly, McDermott, Shana, Preda, Cristina, Vilà, Montse, Weyl, Olaf, Fernandez, Romina, & Ryan-Colton, Ellen. (2021). IPBES IAS assessment, database for Chapter 4. Impact Evidence Database (Version 1) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5706617
Howard, Patricia, Ryan-Colton, Ellen, Ikegami, Makihiko, Lipinskaya, Tatsiana, Stoett, Peter, Saeedi, Hanieh, Rahlao, Sebataolo, Tawake, Alifereti, Tricarico, Elena, Ikeda, Tohru, Per, Esra, Pallewatta, Nirmalie, Hiremath, Ankila, Martinou, Angeliki-Kelly, Fernandez, Rominaa, Preda, Cristina, Sheppard, Andrew, Egawa, Chika, Bwalya Umar, Bridget, … Fisher, Judith. (2021). IPBES IAS assessment, data management report for cross-chapter literature review on indigenous peoples and local communities and invasive alien species (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5760267
Hiremath, A.J. 2018. The case of exploding Lantana and the lessons it can teach us. Resonance, March 2018, pp. 325-335.
Hiremath, A.J. and S. Krishnan. 2016. India Knows Its Invasive Species Problem But This Is Why Nobody Can Deal With it Properly. The Wire. December 11, 2016. https://thewire.in/86078/invasive-species-prosopis-lantana/
Hiremath, A.J. R. Ravi, A.T. Vanak. 2016. Grasslands and pastoralism. Current Science 110: 1142-1143. (A report of a meeting on ‘People, Pastoralism, and Biodiversity Conservation in Arid Grasslands’ held in Kutch from 26 to 30 November 2015.)
Agnihotri, S., A. Hiremath, T. Vattakavan, M.H. Sachin, R. George. 2016. Alien among us. Down to Earth, March 1-15, 2016, pp. 50-52. (A report on a citizen science initiative to map alien invasive species)
Vanak, A.T., A. Hiremath and N. Rai. 2014. Wastelands of the mind: Identity crisis of India’s tropical savannas. Current Conservation 7(3): 16-23
Namboothri, N., R. Ali and A. Hiremath. 2012. Biological invasions of marine ecosystems: Concerns for tropical nations. Position Paper for CBD-COP 11. Dakshin Foundation, Bengaluru, and Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand.
Hiremath A.J. 2011. Invasive species, the unseen threat. Need for specific legislation and adaptive management plans. pp. 37 – 42 In: The Hindu Survey of the Environment 2011. The Hindu Group Publications, Chennai.
Hiremath A.J., and V. Dayal. 2010. Biological invasions: from ecology to human well-being. Current Conservation 4(1): 4-5.
Hiremath A.J., and V. Dayal. (eds.). 2010. Special feature on invasive species. Current Conservation. 4(1).
Hiremath A., and K. Shanker. 2009. The cutting edge of conservation: reaching out. Resonance, September 2009, pp. 929-930.
Pai R., A.J. Hiremath, and U. Kant. 2008 (eds.) Rethinking Forest Fires. Proceedings of the National Workshop on Forest Fires. November 13 & 14, 2007. New Delhi, India.
Schmerbeck J., A.J. Hiremath, and C. Ravichandran. 2007 (eds.) Fires in Indian Forests. Proceedings of a workshop, February 19-23, 2007, Madurai, India.
Shanker K., A. Hiremath, and K. Bawa. 2005. Linking biodiversity conservation and livelihoods in India. PLoS Biology 3(11): e394.
Hiremath A.J., G. Joseph, and R. Uma Shaanker. 2003. (eds.) Policies, Management, Utilization, and Conservation of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the South Asia Region. Proceedings, April 28-30, 2003, Bangalore, India.
Saha S., and A. Hiremath. 2003 Anthropogenic fires in India—a tale of two forests. Arid Land Newsletter 54. http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/ALN/aln54/aln54toc.html
Hiremath A.J., and J.J. Ewel. 2001. Diversity and ecosystem functioning in managed tropical ecosystems. Pages 465-468 in: K. N. Ganeshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker, and K. S. Bawa (eds.) Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity and Human Welfare. Proceedings of the International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems. Oxford–IBH, New Delhi, India.
CAB International. 2000. Hyeronima alchorneoides [original text by A.J. Hiremath and M. Cifuentes J.] Forestry Compendium, Global Edition. Wallingford, UK: CAB International
Hiremath A., J.J. Ewel, and M. Cifuentes, M. 1997. Pérdida de nutrimentos por escorrentía de fuste en ecosistemas tropicales simplificados. [Stemflow nutrient leaching in simplified tropical ecosystems.] In: III Congreso Forestal Centroamericano, San José, Costa Rica, Impresos Belen, pp. 31-33.
Ewel J.J., M. Cifuentes, and A. Hiremath. 1997. El mito de la luz como limitante del crecimiento: efecto de la competencia por nutrimentos sobre los árboles. [The myth of light as a factor limiting growth: the effect of competition for nutrients on trees.] In: III Congreso Forestal Nacional, San José, Costa Rica, MINAE, pp. 305-307.
Other outputs
Banni in a Time of Change, an android app based on a system dynamics model of Banni created in collaboration with Mihir Mathur and Kabir Sharma, DESTA
(accessible at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.atree.banni)
Karayal, Ecological impacts of Prosopis juliflora, in the Banni grasslands. Film, English, 2020-02-03. In collaboration with Srishti Films. (accessible at https://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/PEER/PEERscience/PGA_168070)
Dahar, Socio-economic impacts of Prosopis juliflora in the Banni grasslands. Film, English, 2020-02-03. In collaboration with Srishti Films. (accessible at https://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/PEER/PEERscience/PGA_168070)
Invasive Species. An ATREE podcast with Ankila Hiremath and Anita Varghese. 2022-09-30. https://open.spotify.com/episode/59VZl02fDIa68QTMVfzPFW?si=p1y5g87bQv-cJJMF6MivWQ
