Large wild populations of several species have become small and fragmented due to habitat loss, geographical fragmentation and other manmade factors. Small populations face greater demographic and genetic risks. Conservation genetics deals with genetic management of small fragmented populations, resolving taxonomic uncertainties and the use of molecular genetic analysis in forensics and the understanding of species biology.
Dr. Gaur's group focuses on the development and application of molecular markers in conservation genetics of endangered species. The major efforts are towards the use of non-invasive sampling protocols and development of species - specific DNA markers to look into the genetic structure of existing populations.
Dr. Ajay Gaur is a senior scientist and project leader at Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), an annex of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). His areas of research interest are Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology of endangered species, especially Indian big cats, ungulates and reptiles.
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