The Centre for Ecological Sciences was founded in 1983 with the support of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India. Over the past 42 years, CES has instilled a tradition of rigorous enquiry in diverse areas of ecology, evolution and behaviour. Many of the projects and integrative and use multiple approaches, from theoretical and laboratory studies to field-based research. A number of research areas are breaking new ground in ecology, while others have significant roles in conservation.

CES’s teaching programme has expanded and diversified over the past 20 years, and our student and postdoc strength is at an all-time high. CES has also been involved in several outreach programmes, including organising workshops for students form marginalised groups, specialised training programmes in advanced areas of ecology and evolution, and capacity building for the Forest Department across India. CES faculty and staff work with local communities at field sites throughout the country, and provide inputs into government policies. It is in such initiatives, by a generation trained in the rigour of science but stepped in the spirit of collegiality and collaboration, that we see a great future for ecology and evolution in India.

In the coming decades, we except that CES will continue to evolve, expand and diversify its activities in teaching, research, outreach and conversation, while maintaining its high standards of academic excellence.