Deepak Apte is the Director of Bombay Natural History Society, India. He is also supervising programmes on Himalaya, Climate Change and Threatened Species; Wetlands and Bird Flyways; Grassland and coastal and marine programme. A researcher and scientist of international repute, Deepak is a recipient of the prestigious Whitley Award for International Nature Conservation, granted by The Shears Foundation, and the Whitley Continuation Award for his work on Giant Clams. He has also been awarded a global fellowship in Marine Conservation by the Duke University, USA and a member of the Smithsonian Environmental Leadership Programme. Deepak has to his credit five books and forty-five scientific papers published in prestigious journals. He is an accomplished underwater photographer with over 5000 hours of diving experience.
Mr. Apte is member of several committees of the Government of India such as National Board of Wildlife, Forest Advisory Committee, Chairman of Environmental Appraisal Committee on CRZ and Infrastructure of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Member of Bird Control Committee of Ministry of Civil Aviation. At state level, he is member of wildlife boards of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar; CAMPA (Maharashtra) and Ad-hoc Animal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. He is also the Executive Committee member of SACON, Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra, National Vulture Recovery Programme and Trustee of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS).
Deepak holds a Doctorate in Zoology (Marine Ecology) and Post Graduation degrees in Zoology, University of Mumbai; Integrated Coastal Zone Management from AIT, Bangkok and Marine Policy from Duke University, USA.