S Natesh

Book: Trees of India: 75 Natural Wonders

Guest Of Honours

Dr. S. Natesh, author of the acclaimed Iconic Trees of India, has spent the last decade mapping the country’s heritage trees and the stories that link them to history, ecology, and culture. The book has travelled across major literary festivals in India and Bhutan, and has won the FICCI Book of the Year – Overall Design (2025) and the Federation of Indian Publishers Award.

A botanist by training, Dr. Natesh taught at the University of Delhi before joining the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, where he rose to Scientist-H and led several key divisions. As the first Member Secretary of the National Bioresource Development Board, he helped launch pioneering national programmes in bioresource conservation, biomedical sciences, human resource development, and bio-entrepreneurship.

After retiring from DBT, he served as Consultant-Advisor at the National Institute of Immunology and IIT Delhi. He is currently an Honorary Fellow at ATREE. His lifetime contributions to Indian biosciences earned him the BioSpectrum Lifetime Achievement Award, and a plant species, Aponogeton nateshii, now bears his name.