Vivek Menon

Vivek is a leading wildlife conservationist, environmental commentator, author, and photographer with a passion for elephants and birds. He has trained enforcement staff in more than 50 countries in the prevention of illegal wildlife trade and lectured in more than 30 countries, including addressing parliamentarians in the UK and Australia.   

Currently, Vivek serves as the Councilor of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, and Chairperson of its Governance and Consultancy Committee and Asian Elephant Specialist Group. In addition, he serves as the Chairperson of the Amphibian Survival Alliance Global.  

In India, Vivek advises the government on natural heritage conservation as a part of several national committees. He has been part of India’s delegations to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).  

Vivek has authored or edited 10 books about wildlife, including the bestselling Indian Mammals: A Field Guide; scores of technical reports; and more than 250 articles in various scientific and popular publications. Indian Mammals was the first book of its kind written by an Indian in independent India.  

Vivek helped found five environmental and conservation organisations in India. One, IFAW’s partner Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), he has led for more than 25 years. Currently, he lives part-time in New Delhi, a city of which he was the Honorary Wildlife Warden for more than 20 years.  

Honoured with numerous other awards, including the 2019 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award, 2018 Whitley Continuation Award, 2017 Samskara Round Glass Lifetime Achievement Award, and more, Vivek uses his decades of expertise to advise IFAW’s President and CEO on conservation strategies and partnerships.