Ecologist Turns 20 Years of Research Into Balcony Guide

When Sohail Madan was a child, every highway trip meant stopping to clean insects off the windscreen because there were so many of them. Today's kids will likely never see that, and for this 43-year-old ecologist, it's a stark reminder of how much wildlife we've quietly lost.

But Madan isn't just mourning what's gone. After 20 years restoring damaged ecosystems across India's Aravalli landscape, he's now showing urban residents how even the smallest balcony can become part of the solution.

The founder and director of WildTales Foundation has spent over 15 years bringing nature back to forests, neighborhoods, and school campuses. His projects have ranged from restoring mining-scarred lands to creating butterfly corridors across Delhi, all focused on one big idea: conservation doesn't just happen in faraway sanctuaries.

"People think conservation only happens inside forests or wildlife sanctuaries," Madan says. "But every balcony, every terrace and every backyard can become part of the solution."

The timing couldn't be more critical. India's State of the Birds 2023 report found that nearly half of assessed bird species are declining long-term, with 178 species now considered conservation concerns. Insect populations worldwide have also dropped sharply, driven mainly by habitat loss and chemical overuse.

Madan's journey to this work wasn't straightforward. Born in Africa where his parents worked as doctors, he grew up surrounded by wildlife but initially followed a traditional path through engineering school and a Silicon Valley career.

The turning point came during a visit to a self-sustaining farm in Santa Cruz. Instead of feeling impressed by technology, he found himself drawn to simple outdoor work around the chicken coop, watching children explore mud, insects, and plants.

"I realised I did not want to spend my whole life coding behind a computer," he recalls. "I wanted to be out in the field."

In 2010, he joined the Bombay Natural History Society, India's oldest natural history organization, before founding WildTales Foundation in 2023. His work at Delhi's Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, where mining had heavily scarred the landscape, taught him that restoration means more than just planting trees.

"People think it means planting thousands of trees. It is not that easy," Madan explains. The real challenge is rebuilding the relationships that exist in nature: which plants once grew there, which insects depended on them, which birds fed on those insects.

Why This Inspires

Madan's message offers something rare in conservation: hope paired with practical action. While many environmental stories focus on loss and helplessness, he's proven that individual choices in tiny urban spaces can create meaningful change for struggling wildlife populations.

His childhood memories of abundant insects aren't just nostalgia but a roadmap showing what's possible when people reconnect their spaces with nature. By sharing native plant choices and simple gardening techniques, he's democratizing conservation work that once felt reserved for experts.

Now Madan is teaching others how native plants, water sources for birds, and chemical-free gardening can transform balconies into thriving refuges for butterflies, bees, birds, and other vital pollinators—turning every apartment into a conservation victory.