I am a social science researcher mostly engaging with the multifaceted aspects of the political ecology of conservation. My main interest is on land and forest rights, the governance of biodiversity, and environmental justice. My PhD research in ICTA-UAB has mostly focused on the intersection between violence, conservation and securitization policies, with a particular focus on India. My case study based in northeast, in the state of Assam, has been used to examine the intersection between conservation, militarization and the security policies developed to address the illegal wildlife trade.
Prior to my engagement at ICTA, I have extensively studied and worked in India on issues related to social exclusion, minorities and land rights, collaborating with social and land rights movement in Delhi. My work on conservation in India has been mostly shaped by the collaboration with no-profit groups such as Kalpavriksh, and Rights and Resources Initiatives (RRI), as well as national unions such the All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) and the National Alliances of People Movements (NAPM). I am an honorary member of the ICCA Consortium and a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). I am also an active member of the Direction Board of the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas), an online interactive platform that documents and catalogues social conflicts around environmental issues. In the EJAtlas platform I am particularly active in looking and documenting conflicts emerging from green biodiversity policies such as the creation and expansion of protected areas, carbon and biodiversity offsetting, eco-tourism activities, etc.
I am currently interested on examining conservation practices and policies within Europe, with particular attention to marginalized areas in the southern European regions. My aim is to explore the complex connections between conservation, colonial histories, capitalist practices, and environmental injustices at the EU level. Through this analysis, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the systemic issues embedded in environmental policies and practices, ultimately working towards promoting post capitalist conservation imaginaries across both the EU and global contexts.
I received my undergraduate degrees in Social Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I have a master’s in international relations from Cadiz University in Spain, and a bachelor’s degree from the Orientale University of Naples, where I graduated in South Asian studies and Hindi language.