Dr. Latika Nath has worked all her life against human-wildlife conflict. She has photographed wildlife and written about it and is known for her alternative ideas about wildlife conservation.

Dr. Latika Nath is a Conservation Ecologist and photographer. She is an independent consultant on wildlife issues.

Latika’s father retired as a director of AIIMS. He was also advisor to the Government of India on Wildlife Conservation. He was personally close to Indira Gandhi and Secretary in the Wildlife Board of India for 19 years. As Latika spent her childhood among forests and animals, she had very early decided to become an ecologist and conservationist and never changed her mind even when she grew up.

Her grandparents lived in Kashmir and she had hoped to learn from spending time at the National Park there but, unfortunately terrorists attacked her grandparents’ home and they had to move away from Kashmir. She met Dr. H.S. Panwar who dared her to take up research on tigers, which she bravely accepted.

As she was the first woman to enter a male dominated domain it was a tough fight for her. When she challenged the then prevailing system of tiger-census, she was up against some very powerful men in the field of conservation of wildlife. She wrote her thesis on tigers during 1996 to 2000. At first, the policy and decision makers did not take notice of her studies. But, later, after 20 years, she found that most of the recommendations which she had made in her thesis had been accepted by the decision makers although 20 years late.

Seeing the situation in government departments, she decided to work independently and quietly. She shifted her focus to tribals who in her opinion are the true protectors of wildlife. She started sharing her wildlife photographs on social media and was received well. She thinks every photo has its own story and a message.

She writes about meeting animals. She claims she is an animal-communicator. She likes meeting trees, mountains, jungles and oceans. She has done a lot of work on elephants. She finds elephants very wise and caring. She has swam with 50-foot sharks. In Kenya she had walked with packs of wild dogs.

Latika says she has a lot to say about wildlife conservation but she needs support from the government and policy makers. She wants her voice to be heard by the decision-makers. Latika says the issues related to wildlife conservation are almost the same all over the world. There are good people and there are greedy people everywhere. It is leaders sometimes, like the King of Bhutan, who show the way.

Latika’s advice to youngsters aspiring to join the field of conservation is to find a good mentor. She says don’t just listen to what others say, do your own research. She laments that a powerful group of people always tried to malign her but she never gave up on her principles and ethics. She says to the youngsters that don't be afraid and ask your questions. Another important advice which she gives is don't take this field as work but as passion. Always have an alternate source of income because it is not going to pay you, at least in the initial years. She says your reward in this field is the satisfaction and pleasure that you get by your efforts about conservation.

Latika  considers her father as her role model. She also gives credit to her maternal grandfather who taught her to always be positive and never give up. She has also been inspired by several stalwarts of the field and books written by many experts on the subject.

Latika says she is always a very busy person. She has numerous pets in her home and is busy with them. She has dogs, sparrows, bees etc. She loves design. She also does a lot of photography of all types-portrait, food photography and landscape photography. She likes to cook, plays guitar sometimes, gardening, movies, opera, and reading a lot of books.

Her message is to always remember that time is short in life. She also thinks that this planet has everything to fulfill our needs but not for our greed. She thinks we must remember that we are only one of the creatures created on this earth by God and we shall not try to control everything.