Annual Report 2012-2013 Governing Board Advisory Board
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annual report 2012-2013 Governing board Advisory board Dr. K. S. Bawa**, President, ATREE and Dr. K. VijayRaghavan*, Secretary, Department of Distinguished Professor of Biology, University of Biotechnology, Government of India Massachusetts, Boston, USA Dr. Raghavendra Gadagkar, INSA SN Bose Dr. K. N. Ganeshaiah**, Professor, University of Research Professor and JC Bose National Fellow, Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India Dr. R. Uma Shaanker**, Professor, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India Dr. Amita Baviskar*, Associate Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, India Mr. Darshan Shankar**, Vice Chairman, Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine and Dr. Navroz K. Dubash*, Senior Fellow, Centre for Advisor, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Policy Research, New Delhi, India Health Traditions, Bengaluru, India Dr. Gita Sen*, Professor, Centre for Public Policy, Dr. Surinder M. Sehgal**, President, Sehgal Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, India Family Foundation, Iowa, USA and Chairman Mr. Raj Khoshoo, Senior Vice President, Siemens and Trustee, Institute of Rural Research and PLM, CA, USA Development, Gurgaon, India Ms. Kalpana Sharma, Independent Ms. Rohini Nilekani**, Chairperson, Arghyam Journalist/Columnist, Mumbai, India Foundation, and Chairperson, Pratham Books, Bengaluru, India Dr. Ravi Chopra, Director, Peoples’ Science Institute, Dehradun, India Ms. Seema Paul, Vice President – External Relations, The ClimateWorks Foundation, Dr. S. P. Singh*, Advisor, State Planning Washington D. C., USA Commission, Government of Uttarakhand, Dehradun, India Ms. Pheroza J. Godrej, Founder, Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai, India Dr. Ramesh Singh, Chief Operating Officer, Greenpeace International, Amsterdam, Prof. K. S. Jagadish, Retired Professor, The Netherlands Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India * Also serve on the Faculty Advisory Committee Mr. A. N. Singh, Trustee and Advisor, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai, India Dr. S. Natesh, Former Senior Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi, India Dr. Ganesan Balachander, Director, ATREE, Bengaluru, India (ex officio) Dr. Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan (faculty representative), Senior Fellow, ATREE, Bengaluru, India ** Also serve as a Trustee 2012-13 contents 2012-13 ATREE: Consolidation and Growth 04 Publications 43 ATREE Milestones 06 Books 43 Research Highlights 09 Book chapters 43 Centre for Environment and Development 09 Peer reviewed articles 43 Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation 19 Discussion papers 45 Reports 46 Education 27 Popular press 46 PhD programme 27 Community-based Conservation Centres 29 Awards and Recognitions 47 Outreach 33 People 49 Action research in the Eastern Himalayas 33 Partners 53 Policy 38 Financial Statement 58 Citizen science 39 Small grants in the Eastern Himalayas 39 CEPF 40 Khoshoo 40 Workshops 41 2012-13 ANNUAL 04 REPORT 2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT 05 Toward ATREE’s Twentieth Anniversary Consolidation and Growth Problems arising at the interface of environment and south Asian landscapes. And there are new proposals to socio-economic development are complex, and their expand these programmes, particularly in the Eastern resolution requires both ingenuity and time. In this Himalaya. context, sixteen years represent a relatively short period. Climate change is an active and growing research area ATREE was established only in 1996 (starting operations at ATREE. Aided by strong supporters such as the Oak in 1997), yet in its short history the organization has Foundation, the Government of Norway, and Ms. Rohini already made a good start in addressing some of our Nilekani, our future plans call for the consolidation most pressing environmental challenges. ATREE has of our diverse climate-related activities into a unified earned a number of distinctions, including being ranked interdisciplinary programme on Climate Change. #19 globally and #1 in Asia among environmental think-tanks. In this report we note not only this particular Strengthening human resources to meet the country’s milestone, but also several other important stages in the environmental challenges also remains a top priority organization’s development. with ATREE. With thirty six doctoral students currently enrolled in ATREE’s PhD programme, and with new Even as ATREE continues to address a host of perennial cohorts of students obtaining their degrees every problems – biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and year, ATREE is establishing itself as a premier institute poor environmental governance among them – new of higher learning in conservation and sustainability environmental pressures are emerging. Climate change studies. ATREE is particularly proud of its eight doctoral is one, in particular its associated extreme climatic students from the northeastern region of the country – events. The devastating June cloudburst in Uttarakhand an area with extraordinary biocultural diversity and and October’s cyclone Phailin in the Bay of Bengal, each, acute environmental challenges, but with limited remind us once again of the precarious balance between human resources. nature and society. These events demonstrate our increasing need for effective environmental monitoring As always, we are most grateful to our many friends and for better understanding of the interactions between and donors for their encouragement and support. environment and humanity. We particularly appreciate the resources provided by Tata Trusts, the Sehgal Family Foundation, the Institute ATREE has been a leader in pressing the Ministry of of Rural Research and Advancement, the Norwegian Environment of Forests of the Government of India Government, IDRC, Ms. Rohini Nilekani, and Ms. Kumari to initiate comprehensive monitoring of the health of Shibulal. We welcome comments on our work and our ecosystems. Indeed, ATREE researchers have been suggestions on ways to improve it. monitoring ecosystem structure and process in several 2012-13 ANNUAL 06 REPORT Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies PhD, Certificate courses Organisation Capacity building Structure Climate change Governance Suri Sehgal Centre Centre for Environment for Biodiversity and and Development Conservation Ecosystems and Land, Water and Livelihoods Global Change Forests and Governance Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing Initiates Eastern Himalaya Receives first small grants programme endowment, of to build partnerships for ` 2.45 crores, from 1 fellow and bottom-up environmental Ford Foundation. 13 research staff. governance. 1997–1999 1999 2003 1996 1998 2001 ATREE registered as a First Community-based Publication of new research organization to Conservation Centre (CCC) online science journal, focus on environment at Biligiri Rangaswamy Conservation and Society. and development issues. Temple Wildlife Sanctuary to facilitate exchange of First Conservation Biology scientific and traditional course for graduates and knowledge. post graduates with DST, GoI. Organizes international conference of Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. ATREE milestones 2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT 07 Pics: Ovee Thorat Head office, Bengaluru. CISED* merges with ATREE. ATREE reorganizes to facilitate interdisciplinary work under four programmes.** Hosts SCB conference, Asia chapter, Biodiversity Asia Establishes Academy Move into new green 2012 for Conservation building, headquarters Science and in Bengaluru. Three doctorates awarded. Sustainability Studies. Doctoral programme Hosts the International Begins work on the Karnataka has three students. Canopy Conference. Biodiversity Atlas. 2006 2009 2012 2004 2008 2011 2013 Establishes the Launches the India ATREE’s first doctoral ATREE has 36 PhD Ecoinformatics Biodiversity Portal, an student graduates. students, 18 faculty, Centre, for open access platform 5 offices and 5 CCCs. application of for online species- University of 12 more PhD students geospatial and habitat-related Pennsylvania survey join the ranks in August technologies information. ranks ATREE 1st among 2013, taking student in research. environmental think- strength to 48. tanks in Asia. Endowments now at ` 31 crores. * Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development. ATREE milestones ** Land, Water and Livelihoods; Forests and Governance; Ecosystems and Global Change; Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing 2012-13 ANNUAL 08 REPORT 2012-13 ANNUAL REPORT 09 Research 3 Highlights Centre for Environment and Development Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Centre for Environment and Development Human use of earth’s natural resources is placing Forests and Governance unmatched pressure on the capacities of local and The goal of the Forests and Governance programme is to global ecosystems. In south Asia, the subsistence understand what combinations of governance regimes, needs of a large rural population and the demands economic policies, cultural changes and biophysical of a growing industrial sector and consumer class measures will lead to better forest governance in on forests, water resources and agricultural lands south Asia. This means more sustainable, equitable and are leading to resource degradation and conflict. livelihood-enhancing outcomes, and strong democratic At the same time, the conventional development processes. The focus is on rights, institutions and paradigm of rapid industrialization and governance mechanisms, ecological