This year, the Rufford India Conference was held at Sun-n-Sand, Juhu Beach, Mumbai, with a theme of Urban biodiversity and Mangroves. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this conference was a mix of online and offline events, and participants had the option of attending the conference in-person or
virtually.
During the conference, there were twenty-seven presentations by Rufford grantees, two plenary talks, and three popular talks. Participants were also taken to visit the Godrej Mangroves in Vikhroli, Mumbai.
Presentations during the conference covered a wide range of species and landscapes from students to early career researchers to grantees who had received all five grants offered by The Rufford Foundation’s Small Grants Programme. The Rufford conference not only gives grantees a chance to present their work and receive feedback, but it is also instrumental in giving researchers a platform to form collaborations and discuss ideas and potential solutions to pressing issues.