About

Madhusudan Katti is an Associate Professor and Director of Science, Technology, and Society at North Carolina State University, within the Department of Integrative Humanities and Social Sciences. His work centers on Reconciliation Ecology, which involves applying evolutionary ecology to develop real-world solutions that reconcile biodiversity conservation with human wellbeing. As an ecologist by training, he engages local communities and the broader public in studying how human activities, histories of colonization, and segregation influence the distribution of nature and biodiversity in urban areas. Katti is also interested in the ethics of ecological research and nature conservation, as well as how humans learn to coexist with other species. He actively participates in rethinking and redesigning ecology and conservation biology education and research within a decolonizing framework.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Social Science
• Biology
• Ecology
• Political Science
• Public relations
• Environmental planning
• Law
• Environmental science
• Environmental ethics
• Epistemology
• Anthropology
• Philosophy
• Geography
• Marketing
• Business
• Environmental resource management

Selected publications

• Correction: Caslin et al. Tabonuco and Plantation Forests at Higher Elevations Are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover in Southeastern Puerto Rico. Land 2025, 14, 1324

  Land · 2026-01-15

  articleOpen access

  There was an error in the original publication [...]

  PublisherDOI

• Running up the Hill and into a Hurricane: Forests are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover at Higher Elevations in Southeastern Puerto Rico

  Preprints.org · 2025-05-12 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Hurricanes are major drivers of forest structure in the Caribbean. In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused substantial damage to Puerto Rico’s forests. We utilized 360° photography to document forest structure across 75 sites at Las Casas de la Selva, a sustainable forestry plantation in Patillas, Puerto Rico seven years after Maria hit the property. We assessed forest recovery (vertical structure, canopy closure, groundcover) by comparing the most impacted sites to light/moderately impacted sites. We analyzed the effects of elevation, slope, and aspect, on damage rank, canopy closure, and vertical forest structure. We analyzed 360° photos within a 3DVR headset to quantify vertical structure and trans-formed them to hemispherical photos to quantify canopy closure and groundcover. We computed Vertical Habitat Diversity Index (VHDI) from the amount of foliage in 4 strata: herbaceous, shrub, understory, canopy. Canopy closure decreases with increasing ele-vation and remains lower at higher impacted sites. Grass/Herbaceous groundcover was higher at sites with more damage; VHDI did not differ significantly. Higher elevation trees are more susceptible to damage and significant impacts persist seven years post-hurricane. Even small changes in elevation (~14m) significantly impact canopy closure and forest structure. Results have implications for plantation forest management under climate-change driven higher intensity hurricane regimes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tabonuco and Plantation Forests at Higher Elevations Are More Vulnerable to Hurricane Damage and Slower to Recover in Southeastern Puerto Rico

  Land · 2025-06-21

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Hurricanes are major drivers of forest structure in the Caribbean. In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused substantial damage to Puerto Rico’s forests. We studied forest structure variation across 75 sites at Las Casas de la Selva, a sustainable forest plantation in Patillas, Puerto Rico, seven years after Hurricane Maria hit the property. At each site we analyzed 360° photos in a 3D VR headset to quantify the vertical structure and transformed them into hemispherical images to quantify canopy closure and ground cover. We also computed the Vertical Habitat Diversity Index (VHDI) from the amount of foliage in four strata: herbaceous, shrub, understory, and canopy. Using the Local Bivariate Relationship tool in ArcGIS Pro, we analyzed the relationship between forest recovery (vertical structure, canopy closure, and ground cover) and damage. Likewise, we analyzed the effects of elevation, slope, and aspect, on damage, canopy closure, and vertical forest structure. We found that canopy closure decreases with increasing elevation and increases with the amount of damage. Higher elevations show a greater amount of damage even seven years post hurricane. We conclude that trees in the mixed tabonuco/plantation forest are more susceptible to hurricanes at higher elevations. The results have implications for plantation forest management under climate-change-driven higher intensity hurricane regimes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Overlooked considerations in prescribing green and blue infrastructure solutions for urban environments

  The Innovation · 2025-11-20 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Green and blue infrastructure (GBI) is emerging as a key strategy for climate adaptation and urban resilience, yet its implementation often faces critical contextual barriers. This review initially screened over 29,000 publications, ultimately synthesizing more than 500 relevant studies supplemented by diverse expert input. The result is a novel integrative framework that connects previously siloed knowledge and consolidates 21 underexplored barriers across four key domains of GBI implementation: environmental, social, economic, and governance/policy. Environmental barriers include conflicts between GBI and renewable energy goals, specifically photovoltaics, unintended consequences of GBI (such as allergenic pollen production), urban ventilation disruption, and vulnerability of plant species to multiple urban stressors. Effective responses include thoughtful allocation and integration of photovoltaics and GBI, developing context-specific frameworks combining ecological knowledge with technological innovation, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration across technical and social domains, science-based species selection and implementing multi-scalar strategies that enhance ecological connectivity. Social barriers encompass environmental injustice, cultural disconnection, limited public adoption, safety concerns, and esthetic preferences favoring manicured over ecologically functional landscapes. These challenges highlight the need for participatory design, culturally responsive planning, and inclusive resource allocation to strengthen community engagement and long-term stewardship. Economic barriers stem from biodiversity undervaluation, inadequate asset recognition in accounting frameworks, incomplete cost-benefit analyses, and limited private investment. Innovative financing tools such as green bonds and debt-for-nature swaps offer promising mechanisms for resilient financing, while standardized natural capital accounting frameworks can better capture GBI's multifunctional value. Governance barriers include land scarcity, urban design limitations, policy fragmentation, and disconnects with other urban agendas such as walkability. Overcoming these requires institutional realignment, cross-sectoral collaboration, and integrated spatial planning. The review unifies these findings into 12 actionable recommendations to support holistic decision-making, emphasizing that effective GBI implementation demands context-specific strategies combining innovation, inclusive governance, and long-term stewardship to mainstream GBI in sustainable urban development.

  PublisherDOI

• Yosemite National Park is a Colonial Crime Scene

  2024-09-24

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Environmental scientist Madhusudan Katti delves into the complex history of national park creation and management, challenging the traditional narrative of pristine wilderness preservation. Learn how indigenous communities who inhabited the land before it was a park actively shaped the landscape and how their methods contrast with modern conservationist practices. Dr. Katti invites you to examine the role of national parks in preserving both nature and indigenous heritage, and consider the vital role of interdisciplinary approaches in shaping the future of conservation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biodiversity is not a luxury: Unpacking wealth and power to accommodate the complexity of urban biodiversity

  Ecosphere · 2024-11-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract A positive correlation between wealth and biodiversity within cities is a commonly documented phenomenon in urban ecology that has come to be labeled as the “luxury effect.” We contend that both this language and this framing restrict our understanding of how sociopolitical power dynamics influence biodiversity within and across cities. We describe how the term “luxury” is not appropriately applied to describe patterns of biodiversity and how the pattern depends on the form(s) of biodiversity investigated. While we recognize examples where there is a positive relationship between socioeconomic status and biodiversity, we describe numerous examples where either opposite patterns or no clear relationship between wealth and biodiversity is found. We propose an alternate framework, the POSE framework, that examines the Power, Objectives, mediating Socio‐ecological context, and Effort of specific actors and how those may influence biodiversity. The mediating socio‐ecological context includes everything from biophysical limitations to historical context and the actions of other actors. Further, it is important to understand how and to what degree we expect the actor's actions to influence biodiversity in order to design studies that are able to detect these shifts in biodiversity. We contend that complicating our analysis to focus more on power generally, rather than socioeconomic status specifically, as well as the specific objectives of actors of interest within their socio‐ecological context offers a more flexible approach that can be applied in a wider range of socio‐ecological contexts and allows for more directed policy interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• Urban heat mitigation by green and blue infrastructure: Drivers, effectiveness, and future needs

  The Innovation · 2024-02-07 · 205 citations

  articleOpen access

  •This review focuses on how to mitigate the risk of urban overheating by green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI).•Fifty-one GBGI types in 10 key categories assessed by monitoring > modeling > remote sensing > mixed methods.•Highest cooling efficiency: botanical garden > wetland > green wall > street trees.•New GBGI implementation should consider future climate impact, multifunctional co-benefits, and unintended consequences. The combination of urbanization and global warming leads to urban overheating and compounds the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events due to climate change. Yet, the risk of urban overheating can be mitigated by urban green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI), such as parks, wetlands, and engineered greening, which have the potential to effectively reduce summer air temperatures. Despite many reviews, the evidence bases on quantified GBGI cooling benefits remains partial and the practical recommendations for implementation are unclear. This systematic literature review synthesizes the evidence base for heat mitigation and related co-benefits, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes recommendations for their implementation to maximize their benefits. After screening 27,486 papers, 202 were reviewed, based on 51 GBGI types categorized under 10 main divisions. Certain GBGI (green walls, parks, street trees) have been well researched for their urban cooling capabilities. However, several other GBGI have received negligible (zoological garden, golf course, estuary) or minimal (private garden, allotment) attention. The most efficient air cooling was observed in botanical gardens (5.0 ± 3.5°C), wetlands (4.9 ± 3.2°C), green walls (4.1 ± 4.2°C), street trees (3.8 ± 3.1°C), and vegetated balconies (3.8 ± 2.7°C). Under changing climate conditions (2070–2100) with consideration of RCP8.5, there is a shift in climate subtypes, either within the same climate zone (e.g., Dfa to Dfb and Cfb to Cfa) or across other climate zones (e.g., Dfb [continental warm-summer humid] to BSk [dry, cold semi-arid] and Cwa [temperate] to Am [tropical]). These shifts may result in lower efficiency for the current GBGI in the future. Given the importance of multiple services, it is crucial to balance their functionality, cooling performance, and other related co-benefits when planning for the future GBGI. This global GBGI heat mitigation inventory can assist policymakers and urban planners in prioritizing effective interventions to reduce the risk of urban overheating, filling research gaps, and promoting community resilience. The combination of urbanization and global warming leads to urban overheating and compounds the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events due to climate change. Yet, the risk of urban overheating can be mitigated by urban green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI), such as parks, wetlands, and engineered greening, which have the potential to effectively reduce summer air temperatures. Despite many reviews, the evidence bases on quantified GBGI cooling benefits remains partial and the practical recommendations for implementation are unclear. This systematic literature review synthesizes the evidence base for heat mitigation and related co-benefits, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes recommendations for their implementation to maximize their benefits. After screening 27,486 papers, 202 were reviewed, based on 51 GBGI types categorized under 10 main divisions. Certain GBGI (green walls, parks, street trees) have been well researched for their urban cooling capabilities. However, several other GBGI have received negligible (zoological garden, golf course, estuary) or minimal (private garden, allotment) attention. The most efficient air cooling was observed in botanical gardens (5.0 ± 3.5°C), wetlands (4.9 ± 3.2°C), green walls (4.1 ± 4.2°C), street trees (3.8 ± 3.1°C), and vegetated balconies (3.8 ± 2.7°C). Under changing climate conditions (2070–2100) with consideration of RCP8.5, there is a shift in climate subtypes, either within the same climate zone (e.g., Dfa to Dfb and Cfb to Cfa) or across other climate zones (e.g., Dfb [continental warm-summer humid] to BSk [dry, cold semi-arid] and Cwa [temperate] to Am [tropical]). These shifts may result in lower efficiency for the current GBGI in the future. Given the importance of multiple services, it is crucial to balance their functionality, cooling performance, and other related co-benefits when planning for the future GBGI. This global GBGI heat mitigation inventory can assist policymakers and urban planners in prioritizing effective interventions to reduce the risk of urban overheating, filling research gaps, and promoting community resilience.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Urban Flagship Umbrella Species and Slender Lorises as an Example for Urban Conservation

  2023-09-26 · 1 citations

  book-chapter

  Abstract Proxy or surrogate species have been used to promote conservation around the world. For instance, the World Wildlife Fund uses pandas as a charismatic flagship species to foster support for conservation under the premise that panda conservation will act as an umbrella to protect habitat for other species. Although successfully implemented in nonurban areas, proxy species are seldom used in urban conservation. This work demonstrates the use of proxy or surrogate species in urban conservation by reviewing the successes and failures of the Urban Slender Loris Project (USLP) in Bengaluru, India. The slender loris is an imperiled small nocturnal arboreal primate endemic to peninsular India. Loris populations have declined due to habitat destruction and consumption. Although known to prefer forested areas with a continuous canopy away from humans, this elusive species has also been—surprisingly—found throughout multiple Indian megacities. The USLP is a unique community-based project that conducts participatory science to document urban lorises and habitat. Further, the USLP uses the slender lorises as “charismatic mini-fauna” to garner support for urban biodiversity in Bengaluru. This work documents how the slender loris has been used to halt problematic development and protect important urban habitat. It also provides cases in which protection has failed. Further, it underscores the challenges of integrating diversity and equity in surrogate species projects like this but provides lessons learned for advancing equity. The USLP provides a tangible example of using a charismatic, threatened urban species as a surrogate for broader urban biodiversity conservation initiatives in a complex social-ecological system.

  PublisherDOI

• Urban biodiversity: State of the science and future directions

  Urban Ecosystems · 2022 · 209 citations

  • Sociology
  • Social Science
  • Geography
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Demographic changes of a tropical understory bird in naturally patchy montane habitats in southern India

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2021-09-20 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  ABSTRACT The occurrence, density and survival of a species often depend on various aspects of the habitat that it occupies including patch size and disturbance. The demography of most threatened tropical species largely remain unstudied but could provide valuable information about their biology and insights for their conservation. Our study examined the effect of patch size and disturbance on different demographic parameters of an understory, threatened, endemic bird, the white-bellied shortwing in the tropical biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats in India. We sampled eight plots on a sky-island using mist-nets for four years in a ‘Robust design’ mark-recapture framework. Based on model selection using AIC values, the model with survival as a function of disturbance fits the data better than models with abundance or with these parameters modeled as functions of forest patch size. Shortwing density and sex ratio were not different across forest patch sizes or differing disturbance regimes. However, the survival rate of the species significantly decreased with increasing disturbance but was not related to forest patch size. Our study is possibly the first to provide critical baseline information on the demography of a tropical understory species from this region.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• RAPID: Informal Learning about Urban Ecology through Community-Engaged Research as a Pathway to Persistence for Disaster-Impacted Students

  NSF · $200k · 2019–2021

• ULTRA-Ex: Resilience in an Urban Socioecological System: Water Management as a Driver of Landscape and Biodiversity in Fresno-Clovis, California

  NSF · $299k · 2010–2015

Frequent coauthors

• Paige S. Warren

  13 shared

• Nicholas Williams

  University of Melbourne

  9 shared

• Bradley Schleder

  California State University, Fresno

  9 shared

• Kaberi Kar Gupta

  North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

  9 shared

• Maria Schewenius

  8 shared

• Myla F. J. Aronson

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  8 shared

• Christopher A. Lepczyk

  Auburn University

  8 shared

• Charles H. Nilon

  University of Missouri

  8 shared

Labs

• Science, Technology and SocietyPI

Education

• Ph.D., Biology

  University of California, San Diego

  1997

• M.Sc. Wildlife Sciences

  Wildlife Institute of India

  1989

• B.Sc. Zoology

  Institute of Science

  1987

Awards & honors

• Environmental Justice for Future Leaders in Forestry and Env…