P.C. Abhilash

P.C. Abhilash is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Science at the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India. He served as the founding Chair of the Agroecosystem Specialist Group (2016-2024) of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Switzerland. His research centers on ecological solutions to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the local level. He is especially interested in restoring marginal and degraded lands to recover ecosystem services and resilience, sustainably utilizing lesser-known and underused wild plants for food and nutrition security, addressing pollution in agricultural systems such as pesticides and plastics, promoting nature-based solutions, developing ecosystem-based adaptations for climate-resilient food production, and exploring urban ecology and its complexities. He also works on policy research, sustainability analysis, sustainability indicators, and the circular economy transitions. Dr. Abhilash is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Anthropocene Science (Springer Nature), Executive Editor of Tropical Ecology (Springer Nature), and serves on the editorial boards of leading journals in ecology, environment, and sustainability science published by Wiley, Elsevier, and Springer Nature. He has visited São Paulo State University (Brazil), Beijing Normal University (China), and the University of Sharjah (UAE) as a short-term visiting professor, teaching short courses to master’s and PhD students. He has been recognized as an Associate Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASc), and as a Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), India. His early career awards include the INSA Medal for Young Scientists, the NASI-Platinum Jubilee Young Scientist Award, the ICAR-Lal Bahadur Shastri Young Scientist Award, the HIYOSHI Young Ecologist Award, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, India (MNASc), and the Associateship of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He is a founding member of the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) and has received the Malviya Memorial Young Faculty Award from BRSI. Dr. Abhilash has collaborated with various UN agencies (UN-IPBES, IRP-UNEP, UNDP-BES Network, IPCC, UNCCD) and other international organizations such as APN, GLP, and IUCN commissions (CEM, CEC, CEESP, SSC, and CCC) to promote global sustainability.