Education:
B.Sc., and M.Sc., in Microbiology (Garware College, Pune University, Maharashtra); Ph.D. in field ecology of resident and migrant waterbirds of Saurashtra (Saurashtra University, Gujarat).

Dr. Mundkur worked for over sixteen years with Wetlands International (formerly Asian Wetland Bureau and International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau), a Dutch-based NGO that works closely with governments and conventions to promote the conservation of wetlands worldwide. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the first 14 years, he held a range of positions including technical and management responsibilities and was responsible for managing Wetlands International’s operations in the Asia-Pacific. His technical responsibilities have included development and coordination of a wide range of regional (and national) projects on inventory, monitoring and management of wetlands and their biodiversity, applied research, public awareness and training programmes. He has led the development and coordination of the Asia-Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy, a successful regional initiative for the conservation of wetlands in three major flyways of waterbirds in the Asia-Pacific region using migratory waterbirds as a flagship group; the initiative has been in operation for a decade (1996-2006). He has also been involved in coordinating and developing the Asian Waterbird Census and the Asian Wetland Inventory, two flagship programmes of Wetlands International. He has been involved in the organisation of a number of international and regional conferences, workshops and meetings to promote wetland biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Taej has been working closely with the conventions on Wetlands (Ramsar) and Migratory Species (Bonn) to promote their membership in the Asia region, to assist governments to implement the conventions at a national level and to improve inter-linkages between these conventions and others through practical wetland conservation programmes. He has served on the committees of various international and regional conservation projects implemented by international development agencies, including UNDP, UNEP, FAO, etc.

Currently based in Pune, he works with the New Delhi-based office of Wetlands International with a focus on developing frameworks to promote conservation of migratory waterbirds and their habitats in the Central Asian Flyway and supporting development of projects on strengthening surveillance of diseases, particularly highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in the region as well sustainable development and management of wetlands and their biodiversity in India and South Asia. In addition, he is involved in a range of global activities of Wetlands International.

Taej has authored and edited a number of books and publications on waterbirds and wetlands, including the popular Field Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia and reports of the Asian Waterbird Census. In addition, he has published a number of papers on a variety of research and conservation topics and observational records in national and international journals, bulletins and other publications.