A field research station was set up in 1984 at Kumta a town on the west coast of Karnataka in Uttara Kannada district, It is about 400 km north-west of Bangalore, 65 km west of Sirsi, 200 km north of Mangalore and 70 km south of Goa. This place is accessible both by road and rail.

Research staff and students of Energy & wetlands Research Group at Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science work in the areas of tropical moist forest ecology and management, ecological history, environmental impact assessment, human ecology and coastal area management.

Facilities include a library, computers, weather station, basic laboratory equipment and a herbarium of the Uttara Kannada flora. Two motorcycles are maintained for transport. Visitors are accommodated at hotels in Kumta.

Ongoing research includes:

Biodiversity, mapping of threatened, endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna in Uttara Kannada district

1. Ranges from diatoms to fish (aquatic ecosystems – lotic and lentic),
2. Amphibians,
3. Ants to bats,
4. Orchids to Dipterocarpus (terrestrial ecosystem),
5. Mycorrhizae to Lichens
6. Agro-biodiversity
1. Aquatic Ecosystems (lentic and lotic): Freshwater, Myristica swamps, estuarine and marine
2. Biodiversity, Ecology and Hydrology linkages
3. Conservation flora
4. Energy: Renewable energy – hydro, wind, bio and solar
1. Energy demand
2. Mapping of energy sources and demand
3. Demand side management
4. Decentralised Integrated energy plan
5. Eco-development: Energy efficient devices, etc.
6. Ecological modelling
7. Livelihood aspects in estuaries
8. Coastal ecosystem, mangroves
9. Socio-economic aspects
10. Environmental Impact assessment
11. Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment
12. Conservation, Restoration and Management of Ecosystems

If you are planning to make a field visit in Uttara Kannada, it is recommended that you get the required permissions from the Karnataka Forest department in advance.

Planning to make a field visit to this field station, firstly you will have to get in touch with Dr. T.V. Ramachandra. He will put you across to researchers who would be there at the field station at that given time.

Contact Address:

Dr T V Ramachandra, Energy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore 560 012 Tel      : 91-80-2293 3099/2360 0985/2293 2506/22932786 (extn:215/232) Fax     : 91-80-2360 1428/2360 0085/2360 0683 [CES-TVR] Email : cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in , energy@ces.iisc.ernet.in