I'm drawn to ecological questions related to anthropogenic disturbances in natural landscapes and commodity-driven biodiversity loss. With a firm belief that ‘We do not manage the environment, only the human behaviours that affect its structures and processes’, I aim to conduct research to facilitate evidence-based conservation and to direct community-driven conservation and natural resource management.
My multidisciplinary background—a foundation in software engineering, an international master’s degree in Applied Ecology, and hands-on experience in grassroots conservation work—has shaped my approach to conservation science. I became particularly interested in agricultural wetlands while working with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), where I saw how these small wetlands weren’t just bodies of water, they were the heart of rural communities and vital refuges for wildlife. I remember visiting a small wetland on the outskirts of a village in Uttar Pradesh in India, where farmers spoke about how they relied on it for irrigation, while Sarus cranes nested in the reeds nearby. The community had traditionally maintained the wetland - not because of conservation policies, but because it sustained their livelihoods. Witnessing this coexistence firsthand challenged my perception of conservation and drove my interest in studying how biodiversity thrives in these human-managed landscapes.
Historically, conservation has relied on a ‘fortress conservation’ model, which assumes that nature and people cannot coexist. This model, rooted in colonial-era conservation policies, has often led to the displacement of local communities while failing to equitably distribute conservation benefits to the very people who manage and steward natural resources. Despite this, research on biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes remains scarce, with much of the focus placed on human-wildlife conflict rather than on identifying conditions under which biodiversity can thrive alongside human use.
Through my PhD research, I aim to challenge and reframe these narratives. My work highlights the biodiversity value of agricultural wetlands, demonstrating that these managed ecosystems support diverse waterbird communities. I have documented more than 100 species of waterbirds across 75 agricultural wetlands, supporting the argument for recognizing these landscapes as ecologically significant habitats. Among them is the Asian woolly-necked stork, a species of conservation concern, and the vulnerable Sarus Crane, which I observed nesting in wetlands traditionally managed by farmers. Their presence challenges the assumption that biodiversity only thrives in formally protected areas and underscores the ecological significance of these working landscapes.
Using a combination of field surveys, satellite data analysis, and ecological modeling, I examine how hydrological changes influence waterbird communities in canal-fed wetlands. My findings demonstrate the ecological value of small, canal-fed ponds and provide conservation planning guidance that prioritizes both biodiversity protection and local access to water.