Pradheeps M

Pradheep has a broad international and interdisciplinary background on sustainable development, focused on biodiversity conservation and disaster management. He specializes in community development, with particular interest in themes of community based conservation, sustainable rural development, Food Security/Sovereignty, renewable energy, value chains, WASH and in linking international and domestic spheres of policy and governance.

His education includes: Bachelor degree in Agricultural science (2008); a Master’s in Ecology & Environmental Sciences (2010) with research on community based conservation of traditional ecological knowledge of Medicinal plants in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India; and a PhD in Ecology & Environmental Sciences (2015) with research on conservation of bioresources and biocultural heritage diversity in Western Ghats, India.

His expertise is in ecological surveys, environmental impact assessments, qualitative surveys (e.g. agricultural extension, socioeconomic impacts of disasters, participation and governance; agency and stakeholder analysis, etc.) and methods (e.g. Field surveys - Fauna, Flora, Avian and Marine mammals; Participatory Rural Appraisal - in-depth interviews, focus groups, participatory mapping etc.).

That is combined with wide fieldwork experience across India. In addition to the research to the academic degrees, he had done post-doctoral research on Impacts of habitat fragmentation on host-parasite interaction in endemic and endangered animals of Western Ghats, India. In addition, he taught environment management, environmental impact assessment as a lecturer to Masters in Disaster Management scholars at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. He has also done environmental consultancy work in the World Bank funded Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CDRRP) for Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA), under the State Government of Tamil Nadu.

He currently works as Program Manager at PRAGYA a global development organisation works on sustainable development, environmental protection, poverty relief, access to healthcare and education, gender equality, social justice and disaster management.