Dr. Arvind Govind Raddi (1937-2011) followed his childhood passion for nature, turning it into a distinguished career in forestry. He served in the Indian Forest Service for over three decades, before retiring in 1995 as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of Maharastra State.
Dr. Raddi held an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Bombay in 1959 and after joining the Forest Service, underwent training at the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun. As a Commonwealth scholar, he was awarded a Ph.D in Wildlife Zoology, receiving his doctorate from the University of British Columbia, Canada in 1965.
During his service career, Dr. Raddi held several positions of responsibility in the areas of wildlife, silviculture, conservation, social forestry and planning. He contributed significantly to Indian forestry, implementing innovations such as aerial seeding in the Western Ghats and mangrove afforestation in the coastal zones of Maharashtra. He conceived and developed a new green lung for Pune city in the 1970s, in the shape of the Pachgaon Parvati nature reserve.
Between 1969 and 1973, Dr. Raddi was deputed to the Department of Tourism, Government of India where he served as Deputy Director General and worked to develop wildlife tourism in the country.
As Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Raddi anchored a World Bank-funded project between 1991 and 1995, to revamp the Maharashtra forestry sector.
During his service career and post retirement, Dr. Raddi experimented intensively with rooftop greening and terrace gardening. He wrote numerous articles in newspapers and journals to propagate his thoughts on greening cities, while also providing his consulting expertise to projects like the Mumbai-Pune expressway.
A bibliophile, Dr. Raddi's entire life can be summarised as a quest for knowledge along with the zest to try and implement it.
The late Dr. Arvind Raddi has penned an extensive account of Indian Forestry encompassing various aspects like biodiversity, ecotourism, plantations, village ecodevelopment, and many more. Dr. Raddi begins with a description of the evolution of life on earth. He gives a detailed account of forest management in ancient, medieval and British Colonial India. He devotes a major portion of the book to the Indian Forest Department of today. The SWOT analysis of the Forest Department is based on his personal experiences as head of the Maharashtra Forest Department, as well as the experiences of his large circle of friends and colleagues.
Dr. Raddi has given a new dimension to the concept of 'Village Ecodevelopment'. He has shown a way to save biotic stress on valuable forests by fulfilling needs of villagers regarding fuel, fodder and timber within the village itself. His concept is essentially based on the Gandhian principle of self-reliant villages. If the programmes suggested by him were to be implemented, the villages would regain their lost riches. This may require substantial funds, but with the commencement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, it should not be difficult now.
The world now faces several challenges including global warming and climate change. To meet these challenges, it is necessary to have the appropriate methodology in place. I am sure that suggestions made by Dr. Raddi will considerably benefit both India and the world at large, in the management of forest affairs. It is my sincere wish that this book reaches the hands of interested people. I would like to congratulate Dr. Raddi for his significant contribution. If not by statues, Dr. Raddi will be remembered through this monumental work.
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