Nikhil Advani
Director, Climate, Communities and Wildlife
Dr. Nikhil Advani's role at WWF is at the intersection of communities, wildlife and the varied threats they face, from climate change to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, he is leading a GEF project focused on how COVID-19 is affecting nature-based tourism in eastern and southern Africa, which seeks to connect funders to communities most affected by the crisis (African Nature-Based Tourism Platform). Other projects under Nikhil's portfolio focus on better understanding how wildlife and rural communities are being affected by changes in weather and climate, and developing and implementing solutions to help them adapt. These include an initiative to gather data and implement climate adaptation projects for rural communities (WWF Climate Crowd), a Wildlife and Climate assessment series to research species vulnerability to climate change, creation of a Wildlife Adaptation Innovation Fund to help at risk species adapt to climate change, and he is a member of the IUCN SSC Climate Change Specialist Group. In 2019 he was awarded the Emerging Leader Award by The College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, and currently serves on their advisory council.
Nikhil was born and brought up in Kenya, and went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. at The University of Texas at Austin. His thesis focused on gaining a better mechanistic understanding of species response to climate change, using the Glanville Fritillary butterfly as a model species. He then worked for the Nature Conservancy in Texas, prior to joining WWF in 2013.
“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and species all over the world are already being impacted. We must implement strategies to help them adapt, both through direct human interventions, and by facilitating their natural capacity to adapt to these changes. ”
In The News
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Mic
The "Winners" and "Losers" of Climate Change, According to Scientists
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RTE Radio
How Can We Help Threatened Species To Cope With Climate Change?
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The Daily Climate
US Wildfires’ Increasing Toll on Wildlife
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PBS: NATURE
The Long-Lasting Impact of Wildfires on Wildlife, WWF Explains
Videos
Insiders Series: Climate Change and COVID-19: Helping Communities in Africa Recover and Thrive
Climate change presents one of the biggest challenges of our time, and increasingly severe impacts of a warming climate are affecting communities and wildlife all across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an additional stressor to communities and wildlife conservation efforts. In this webinar, hear from Dr. Nikhil Advani, Director, Climate, Communities and Wildlife, about two exciting projects which are helping communities deal with these threats. The African Nature-Based Tourism platform will connect funders to African communities involved in nature-based tourism, and we'll get the latest updates from Climate Crowd, including recent projects in eastern and southern Africa which are helping people and nature adapt to a changing climate.
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Pandas and Prose with Carl SafinaWWF’s Pandas and Prose is a virtual series in which we host conversations with writers who use nature and the written word to inspire and educate readers around the world. In June 2021, WWF hosted a Pandas and Prose webinar with ecologist and author, Carl Safina, and WWF's Director of Climate, Communities and Wildlife, Nikhil Advani. We invited audience members to join our WWF community in reading Carl’s book, Becoming Wild, ahead of the event.
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Virtual Insiders Series - Innovating Climate SolutionsFrom penguins in South Africa to rhinos in Nepal, climate change impacts wildlife across our planet. To help vulnerable species become more resilient to these changes, WWF launched the Wildlife Adaptation Innovation Fund. This Fund supports the testing of innovative, on-the-ground solutions that help species adapt to changes in weather and climate. Successful pilot projects can then be scaled or replicated elsewhere. Watch this video to hear from Dr. Nikhil Advani, WWF’s Director, Climate, Communities and Wildlife, about the projects we have implemented over the last few years, and how, together, we are creating a brighter future for wildlife.
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Climate Change and Species with WWF's Nikhil AdvaniIn honor of Endangered Species Day, WWF’s Nikhil Advani is discussing the climate crisis, the impacts of climate change on wildlife, and the innovative solutions WWF is implementing to help tackle these urgent issues.
More on Nikhil
Title
Director
Education
- Ph.D. - Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin
- B.Sc. - Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin
Areas of Expertise
- Climate change and species
- Biological impacts of climate change
- Human responses to climate change
- Climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation strategies
- Ecology, evolution and conservation biology
Appointments
Publications
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Polar Bear: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 254 KB
Polar bears rely almost entirely on the sea ice environment for traveling, hunting, mating and resting. Global warming and subsequent ice loss has been most pronounced in the Arctic, and this trend is projected to continue. Explore this and other traits which make polar bears vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.
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Snow Leopard: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 1.68 MB
Snow leopards might be resilient to many of the direct impacts of climate change, but face increasing pressure as humans and livestock shift their activities to higher elevations. Explore this and other traits which make snow leopards vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies for snow leopard range areas. (3 page Brochure)
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Giant Panda: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 595 KB
Giant pandas have a small population size, long generation time, low reproductive rate, and feed almost exclusively on bamboo, all of which make them less able to adapt to a changing climate. Explore these and other traits which make giant pandas vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.
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Monarch Butterfly: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 1.63 MB
Monarch butterflies are highly sensitive to weather and climate, however, they also have a high capacity to adapt to longer term changes in climate. Explore this and other traits which make monarch butterflies vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.
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Asian Elephant: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 1.34 MB
Asian elephant habitat is threatened by invasive plants such as Lantana sp., which may further thrive under changing climatic conditions. Explore this and other traits which make Asian elephants vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.
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Mountain Gorilla: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 2.04 MB
Mountain gorillas live in a very restricted geographic range, and face pressure from surrounding human settlements who themselves are increasingly impacted by climate change. Explore this and other traits which make mountain gorillas vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.
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African Elephant: WWF Wildlife and Climate Change Series
application/pdf, 2.24 MB
African elephants need up to 300 liters of water a day, just for drinking. Changing rainfall patterns in Africa and increased water scarcity pose a serious threat. Explore this and other traits which make African elephants vulnerable to climate change, as well as recommended climate-adaptive management strategies.