Wildlife Institute of India

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is a research institution established in 1982, functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the Government of India. It is engaged in wildlife research across a range of disciplines, including biodiversity, endangered species, wildlife policy and management, wildlife forensics, ecology, ecotoxicology, and climate change. The institute also plays a role in conducting wildlife census activities. It is housed in a 180-acre (73 ha) facility located in Chandrabani, within the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. Since its founding, WII has been led by a series of directors, beginning with V. B. Saharia (1982–1985), followed by Hemendra Singh Panwar (1985–1994), Priya Ranjan Sinha (2004–2013), Radha Krishna Goel (2013–2014), Vinod Bihari Mathur (2014–2019), Dhananjai Mohan (2019–2022), Virendra R. Tiwari (2022–2025), and Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj (2025–present). The institute is associated with other research and conservation-related bodies in India, such as the Forest Research Institute and the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, reflecting its role within the broader network of environmental and forestry research institutions in the country.