In this latest installation of Journal of Applied Ecology’s Meet the Editor series, we’re joined by our new Commissioning Editor, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi!
What can you tell us about the first paper you published?
That was a dream come true and the beginning of a life-long commitment to ecological research. I had completed my master’s dissertation studying the blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) in the Himalaya. We found that blue sheep change their diet in response to the availability of graminoids, but there is a reproductive cost to this switch. I could not publish it in Journal of Applied Ecology (it was rejected), but it was published in Oecologia soon after. That research thread has led to many new insights and papers over the years. Now, nearly fifteen years later, we still continue probing questions that emerged from that work.
What’s your favourite species and why?
For my master’s thesis, I studied the blue sheep, but since then, I have been working on the snow leopard (Panthera uncia). It is hard for me to choose between this predator and its prey.
Who inspired you most as a student?
I learnt about the work of Dr. Charudutt Mishra when I was a student. He had pioneered research and conservation efforts to protect the snow leopard. I was lucky to do my master’s and PhD thesis with him. I feel fortunate to be able to continue working with him to this day.
What are the greatest differences in the challenges now facing ecosystems compared with when you first started your academic career?
When I started my work in the high Himalaya around the year 2007, we were more concerned about habitat degradation due to excessive livestock grazing, livestock predation by snow leopards and their retaliatory persecution by herders and such direct interactions between people, their livestock and wildlife. However, today, we are more concerned about large infrastructure projects such as large-scale solar farms, linear intrusions, mining, and climate change.
What do you think are the biggest opportunities or potential opportunities for ecology in the next decade?
This is a tough question. It is always easy to look back and see what worked out as an opportunity. Having said that, I feel the increased investment in green energy infrastructure is an opportunity for ecology to get more mainstreamed and be considered on the table when decisions are being made.
What made you apply for the Commissioning Editor role, and what do you hope to achieve in the role?
I have been an Associate Editor for about five years (six, if you include the year when I was part of the mentorship program). I wanted to do something different when this opportunity opened up. I checked with Phil Stevens, who was my mentor for the Journal of Applied Ecology Associate Editor Mentorship program, and he felt that I was ready to make this transition. In my role as a Commissioning Editor, I would like to widen and diversify the types of review, perspective, and policy papers that we publish.
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill, what would it be?
I would like to be a more effective communicator. Perhaps be a better writer. This is something that I have to keep learning throughout my life.
Are you a good cook? What’s your signature dish?
I cannot say if I am a good cook, but my daughter loves the way I make fish. It is often the first thing I do for her after a long travel.
What’s your favourite sport and why?
I like to play many sports and my intensity has changed with the phases of my career and personal life, but horse riding (equestrian sports) has remained a lifelong passion. We have a couple of horses at my parent’s farm which I love to ride at every opportunity.
If you could recommend one place for people to travel to on holiday, where would it be and why?
The Himalaya are struggling with unregulated tourism. The region is overburdened. The infrastructure is not up to the mark, and the ecology cannot support so many tourists. But I will recommend it to people who travel responsibly and would like to bring about a positive change in society through their travel.
What was the first album you owned?
I never really owned music. It was not a thing in our house. Music was looked down upon, and we were expected to either study or play outdoors. But I remember enjoying Bollywood music of the 1990s.
If you had one superpower, what would it be and why?
I don’t like the idea of superpowers. It perpetuates the thought that one person can make all the difference when, in reality, teams of well-meaning people come together to find consensus on what is best for society and then implement those changes. If I had to answer this question, I would say that I would like to be able to help steer and negotiate complex conversations and help find solutions that are acceptable to all parties.
