Mr Abhinaya Pathak

Abhinaya Pathak is a PhD candidate in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of California San Diego, USA, specializing in conservation science with a strong focus on greater one-horned rhinos and Asian elephants. With a professional background in Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, he brings extensive field experience in protected area management, anti-poaching, and community-based conservation. His research integrates long-term mortality datasets, GPS telemetry, and genetics to understand rhino population dynamics, movement, and emerging non-poaching mortality risks in recovery landscapes. He also examines human-wildlife conflict, highlighting how conservation success can shift ecological pressures and disproportionately impact local communities. Abhinaya’s work aims to inform more adaptive, evidence-based conservation strategies that balance species recovery with equitable coexistence.