The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) elected him as their Fellow in 1984.
Six years later, the two other major science academies of India, The Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) and the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), followed suit by electing him as a Fellow in 1990.
He is Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), an honorary Fellow of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) and a recipient of the National Environment Fellowship of the Ministry of Environment and Forests for his field research in the Western Ghats.
He was elected as a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and he serves as a member of the British Ecological Society and Ecological Society of America.

The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1981 and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an autonomous government agency awarded him Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the highest Indian award in the Science and Technology sector, in 1986.
In between, in 1983, the Government of Karnataka honoured him with Rajyotsava Prashasthi, their second highest civilian award.
His alma mater, Harvard University, presented him with the Harvard Centennial Medal, an annual honour given to its alumni for their achievements in their respective field of service, in 2002.
The next year, he shared the 2003 Volvo Environment Prize of the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, with Muhammad Yunus, the social entrepreneur from Bangladesh.

Gadgil received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award from the Government of India in 2006 and the H. K. Firodia award of the H. K. Firodia Foundation reached him a year later, in 2007.
The Central University of Orissa honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2013 and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recognised the contributions of the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP) and its chairman with the Georgescu-Roegen Award in 2014.
The University of Southern California awarded him the John and Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2015, which he shared with Jane Lubchenco, a Distinguished Professor of Oregon State University, making him the second Indian, after M. S. Swaminathan, to receive the Prize.
He is also a recipient of the Vikram Sarabhai Award and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar Award.

He received the Fergusson Gaurav Puraskar 2019, for being an Outstanding Alumnus from his Alma Mater, Fergusson College on 6 January 2019.
The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) elected him as their Fellow in 1984. Six years later, the two other major science academies of India, The Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS) and the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), followed suit by electing him as a Fellow in 1990. He is Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), an honorary Fellow of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) and a recipient of the National Environment Fellowship of the Ministry of Environment and Forests for his field research in the Western Ghats. He was elected as a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences in 1991 and he serves as a member of the British Ecological Society and Ecological Society of America.
The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1981 and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an autonomous government agency awarded him Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, the highest Indian award in the Science and Technology sector, in 1986. In between, in 1983, the Government of Karnataka honoured him with Rajyotsava Prashasthi, their second highest civilian award. His alma mater, Harvard University, presented him with the Harvard Centennial Medal, an annual honour given to its alumni for their achievements in their respective field of service, in 2002. The next year, he shared the 2003 Volvo Environment Prize of the Volvo Environment Prize Foundation, with Muhammad Yunus, the social entrepreneur from Bangladesh.
Gadgil received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award from the Government of India in 2006 and the H. K. Firodia award of the H. K. Firodia Foundation reached him a year later, in 2007. The Central University of Orissa honoured him with the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2013 and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recognised the contributions of the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP) and its chairman with the Georgescu-Roegen Award in 2014. The University of Southern California awarded him the John and Alice Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 2015, which he shared with Jane Lubchenco, a Distinguished Professor of Oregon State University, making him the second Indian, after M. S. Swaminathan, to receive the Prize. He is also a recipient of the Vikram Sarabhai Award and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar Award.
He received the Fergusson Gaurav Puraskar 2019, for being an Outstanding Alumnus from his Alma Mater, Fergusson College on 6 January 2019.
Madhav Gadgil