Let’s appreciate these 8 Women Environmentalists in India who are working to bring about change and save the planet
Women have always been at the forefront of environmental conservation but are seldom recognized for being so. In India especially, only a handful of women environmentalists are recognized and that too not to the extent that they deserve. Today we highlight the work of 8 women environmentalists in India that are working at the ground level.
Dr. Krithi Karanth
Dr. Krithi holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University and an M.E.Sc from Yale University. Her main field of work is researching wildlife conservation in India. She is presently Chief Conservation Scientist and Director at the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore, Adjunct Faculty at Duke University and National Centre for Biological Sciences.
For her work as an environmentalist and researcher, she received the 2019 Women in Discovery Award by WINGS Worldquest. She has also received multiple grants from the Indian government, and organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Geographic Society, and the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB).
Jis Sebastian
An environmentalist, conservation ecologist Jis Sebastian has fought numerous battles. She fought gender discrimination and stayed all alone in the forest to promote the environmental revolution. She specializes in the study of Orchids in the Western Ghats.
Sebastian is currently working in Wayanad, Kerala, to restore orchids. She first started this to work on her Ph.D. but soon she forgot her reasons and delved into the field to conserve the orchids and the ecosystems around them.
Nandini Velho
Nandini Velho has a doctorate from Australia’s James Cook University and all she wants is to save the world by protecting its ecological biodiversity. Nandini’s close association with the biodiverse Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh led her to work on the Eaglenest Memory Project, a book based on interviews with communities living near the sanctuary.
According to her Arunachal Pradesh is the place she would go to if she had just 48 hours to live. Her persistent efforts in Arunachal have ensured that the local community there plays a critical role in protecting both forests beloved to her, Pakke and Eaglenest.
Anjali Dalmia
3097 MW Etalin HEP & 2880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project, 2 of India's largest hydro power projects planned on same limb of Dibang river will collectively lead to huge loss of 6.1 lakh trees. #DibangNotForDams #FightClimateInjustice @moefcc @ArunachalCMO https://t.co/fCnOUifHkZ
— Anjali Dalmia (@AnjaliDalmia) September 25, 2020
The 20-year-old student and environmentalist are doing all she can to conserve and save the environment. At 20 Anjali is the Co-founder of Yugma Network, Project Amara, and Project Plant, and is now representing the country at MockCOP26.
Anjali is also the Environment Minister at Ashoka University where she works relentlessly for the conservation of the environment. Her journey in social work started with her co-founded the initiative, project Amara which works on sustainable and equitable menstruation for all women.
Read More: Virtual Meetings are more Exhausting for Women than Men, reports SSRN
Suprabha Seshan
Suprabha is an Earth Studies graduate from the British Open University. Currently, she is popularizing the need to restore natural habitats through integrated conservation techniques, gardening, and restoration practice. Suprabha received the prestigious Whitley Award in 2006. (UK’s top environmental prize).
Suprabha is also an educator at the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary. There she focuses on throwing light on the most endangered plant species. She believes that the conservation of existing landscapes should be our top priority.
Neha Sinha
Neha is a conservation biologist and author. She works on environmental policy for the Bombay Natural History Society. She champions environmental conservation through her speeches, articles, and her book Wild and Wilful.
She works on creating policy positions and briefs for BNHS and has taught environmental policy at Delhi University. Her focus remains on Important Bird Areas but she advocates for environmental conservation as a whole.
Archana Soreng
Archana is an environmental activist belonging to the Kharia tribe from Bihabandh Village of Rajgangpur in Sundergarh, Odisha, India. Archana’s main focus is to make the idea of Climate change more popular among the backward classes of the nation as she believes that they will be the frontrunners of the change.
She also works for document ting, preserving, and promoting the traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous communities. Archana is also representing India on an international stage as one of the seven members of the Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change established by the Secretary-General of the United Nations as a part of the UN Youth Strategy.
Licypriya Kangujam
Licypriya is one of the youngest climate and environment activists on the globe. She also made an address at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2019 (COP25) in Madrid, Spain. Licypriya started her social work in July of 2018.
Apart from climate change activism, Licpriya loves nature and advocates conserving forests and ecological biospheres at any cost. She also thinks that environmental and climate change education is necessary and should be added to the high school syllabus.
These 8 women environmentalists in India are not sitting in ac offices and tweeting about crises and needs to conserve the environment. They are working hard in the field. Doing their bit to save the world one step at a time. One thing is common between all of them, they want to educate people. It may be about climate change or the destruction of ecological biodiversity. They want us to learn and back them. They are the future leaders and we should at all costs stand behind them.
Have a news story, an interesting write-up or simply a suggestion? Write to us at info@oneworldnews.com
