Sonali Ghosh is an Indian Forest Service officer. She is the first woman to become the field director of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sonali Ghosh was born in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. She grew up in a family of Army personnel and therefore travelled frequently and discovered her love for nature from an early age. She appeared in medical exams but failed to crack them, which led her to prepare for the civil services examinations and become an IFS officer. She has many educational degrees to her name including a master’s degree in Forestry and Wildlife Science, a degree in System Management, an MSc in Wildlife conservation, and a post-grad diploma in Environment Law from the National Law School of India. She also did a PhD in geography in the United Kingdom. She holds a doctorate in remote-sensing technology, concerning habitat suitability for tigers in the Indo-Bhutan Manas landscape. Sonali was the topper of the IFS 2000-2003 batch.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sonali’s father, Col. AK Ghosh, was an Officer of the Corps of Engineers, and her mother, Seema Ghosh, is a homemaker. Sonali has an elder brother.
Husband & Children
Sonali Ghosh’s husband, Chandra Bhushan, is an IAS officer, and they have a daughter, Lavanya.
Religion
She follows Hinduism
Career
Sonali Ghosh joined the Indian Forest Service IFS in the year 2000. Her first posting was at the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve, Assam, which is famous for its one-horned rhinos. She was next posted to Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, where she worked for the preservation of the golden langurs. Before she was appointed as field director of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, Sonali was the Chief Conservator of Forests for the Research Education and Working Plan Division at the Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of the Forest Force in Guwahati. She was part of the formal revival process for Manas National Park. During her time on the field, she was involved in the first successful rehabilitation of captive-bred clouded leopard cubs in the wild.
Sonali Ghosh (in centre) on a joint patrol in the Manas National Park
After 15 years of working in the field, she returned to the Wildlife Institute of India as a scientist, her research interests included Ex-situ conservation, Protected Area Governance and exploring nature-culture linkages for heritage conservation. She has co-edited two books, Cultural Landscapes of Asia, and an Anthology on Wild Treasures- Reflections on Natural Heritage in Asia. On 1 September 2023, she became the first woman field director of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. [1]The Hindu
Sonali Ghosh on her first day as a field director of Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve Assam
Awards
- She won the Whitley Award for her work on tiger conservation.
- In 2013, She won the Marsh Marjan Award for her work on the Manas project.
Sonali Ghosh receiving her Award from Brian Marsh
Facts/Trivia
- Sonali describes herself as a “pragmatic Wildlifer.”
Sonali Ghosh (second from left) on a visit to a Zoo
- In 2021, she was appointed as the Director of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
