From chasing langurs in Kolkata to leading WWF-India’s conservation efforts: Dipankar Ghose on a life in the wild

New Delhi: For Dipankar Ghose, the path to conservation leadership began in a Kolkata kitchen, trying to keep langurs out of the household and away from the flower gardens.

Now Senior Director of Biodiversity Conservation at WWF-India, Ghose traces his career to those early encounters with wildlife in the city’s suburbs. “I grew up chasing langurs from our household kitchen and the flower gardens in the suburbs of Kolkata. So, I was exposed to human-wildlife interactions at a very young age,” he says.

That exposure pushed him toward formal study. He opted for Zoology, alongside Human Physiology and Botany, and quickly saw the links between species, habitats, and people. “Even then, I could see the interlinkage between animals, plants, and people through my studies; something I recognised more than three decades ago,” he says.

Today his work focuses on India’s key wildlife species, shaping conservation strategies that balance science, field realities, and community needs. His journey from field observations to leadership features in WWF-India’s monthly series spotlighting niche and unconventional green careers through stories of prominent voices in environment and conservation.