Dr. Gopakumar, S

Research Areas

Tropical forest vegetation ecology, NTFPs and social dimensions of forest management/governance

Specialisation

Tropical forest ecology/eco-physiology

Description: 

My academic passion is the macro-morphology of trees. As a researcher, I prefer to be interdisciplinary, problem-focused, policy-oriented and empirical. My research ideas are continuing attempts to decipher how forest ecosystems differ structurally (phytosociology studies) and functionally and has researchers which had worked/is working on related (invasive plant species, fire ecology, forest watershed, forest pathology) topics. I would love to establish long term experimental plots and generate data so as to understand the change matrix. Non timber forest products (NTFPs) and their significance/role in creating sustainable livelihoods (through improved harvesting, product divesification, value addition etc) is another area of research interest. Simultaneously, I also have a keen curiosity about complex, policy-relevant dilemmas that concerns tropical forest management and governance. My research group on this worked and highlighted the need for more socially inclusive forest laws (Eg. EFL Act in the context of Wayanad district, Kerala) and also explored the differing administrative perspectives in community forest management (VSS vs JFMCs in Attappady, Kerala). My works on this sector include trying to understand the extent, nature and cause-consequences of human-wildlife conflicts in some parts of Kerala, and also the possibility of blending biology and technology to mitigate conflicts. Insights and experiences which I gained through my travelling in the several forest ecosystems of India, Bhutan, Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Italy and Turkey gets reflected in my teaching and research activities. I relish reading, admire the power of ICT in knowledge delivery (Moodle) and love to motorbike and wander.

Selected Publications: 

• S. Gopakumar, A. V. Santhoshkumar and T. K. Kunhamu. 2012. Wild boars: is elimination the way forward? Current Science, 102 (1): 14-15.

• H. Puttaswamy, S. Gopakumar and B.N. Sathish. 2012. Phenology and fruiting behaviour of safed arand (Jatropha curcas L.). Indian Forester, 138 (1):31-34.

• S. Gopakumar. 2012. The eminence of Linnaeus is imperfect without Uppsala Hammarby! Current Science, 103 (3): 324-325.

• Anju S Vijayan., S. Gopakumar and K. Ashraf. 2012. Dendrobotany and woody plant diversity of homegardens of Cherpu block, Kerala state, India. Journal of Non-Timber Forest Products, 19(3):239-244.

• S. Gopakumar and R. Yesoda Bai. 2012. Ethnobotanical value of dry, fallen ovaries of Bombax ceiba L. (Bombacaceae: Malvales). Journal of Threatened Taxa, 4 (15): 3443-3446.

• Gopakumar, S, Indira Devi P, and Kunhikannan, C. 2013. Small Scale Splint and Veneer Industries of Kerala State, India: A Technical Efficiency Analysis. The Indian Forester., 139 (6): 530-537.

• Jiss K Varkey, S. Gopakumar, K. Vidyasagaran, Joy Mathew and A. V. Santhosh Kumar. 2018. Forest laws, for whom, by whom? A concept mapping study of the Ecologically Fragile Land Acts, 2003 in Wayanad, Kerala, India. Current Science 115 (8):1459-1469.

• Eldhose George, T.K. Kunhamu, V. Jamaludheen, A.V. Santhoshkumar and S. Gopakumar. 2019. Comparative performance of stump and root trainer raised teak plantations in humid Kerala, Indian J. of Agroforestry, 21 (2):18-21

• Chandran, M. V., Gopakumar, S., and Mathews, A. 2020. Comparative phytosociological assessment of three terrestrial ecosystems of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 12(5):15631-15645. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4754.12.5.15631-15645

• Meghana Rose Joseph, P.A Nizam, Gopakumar S., Hanna J. Maria, R Vishnu, Nandakumar Kalarikkal, Sabu Thomas, K Vidyasagaran and E.V Anoop. 2021. Development and characterization of cellulose nanofibre reinforced Acacia nilotica gum nanocomposite. Industrial Crops and Products, 161: 113180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113180

• Kiran, M., Gopakumar, S., Reshmy, V. and K. Vidyasagaran. 2021. Documentation and characterization of fungal diseases in nursery seedlings of teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) in Kerala, India. Indian Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42360-021-00333-3