[3] [4] Karanth directed the WCS-I effort to help save Bengal tigers, and has conducted country-wide surveys to better estimate their population and habitat needs.

[7] His amateur biological observations of the flora and fauna of his native Karnataka State in Southern India, under severe pressure from incompatible human activity, spurred him to investigate conservation models for the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot.

A 1983 meeting with a visiting Smithsonian Institution delegation paved the way for his travel to the US, where he studied in the National Zoo's Wildlife Conservation and Management Training Program in 1987.

[4][8] His single longest project is the monitoring of the health of forests and biodiversity in Nagarahole Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Karnataka.

[2] By applying a robust statistical model to camera trapping sampling data, a close estimate of tiger population in a given area can be determined.

He founded the Centre for Wildlife Studies, published more than 135 international peer-reviewed scientific papers and popular articles, and authored seven books in English and Kannada.

He is past Vice-President of the Bombay Natural History Society and a Scientific Advisor to several conservation advocacy groups in India.

He also serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission specialist groups on Cats, Elephants, Wild Cattle and Small Carnivores.

Karanth has traveled widely to provide expert consultation to research/conservation projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Russia, and some countries in Africa and Latin America.

In January 2012, Karanth was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his outstanding contributions to Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection.