Conservation

Urban foraging: Land management policy, perspectives, and potential
(journal article)

Does conservation suffer from a lack of compassion?
(news article)

Wild Edible Fruits: A Systematic Review of an Under-Researched Multifunctional NTFP
(journal article)

Fruits of the Veld
(public outreach report)

Sea turtles support sustainable livelihoods at Ostional, Costa Rica
(journal article)

Dive Ecotourism in Malta
(group report)

NTFP certification in India
(poster presented at SCCS 2016)

Working with sea turtles in India
(blog post)

What does conservation mean to you?
An ecologist may consider genetic preservation of a species or ecosystem integrity of a landscape. An anthropologist might vouch for cultural and knowledge perpetuity. An economist would likely value the goods and services, while a policymaker would consider it a commitment. To me, conservation is the whole deal, from minimum viable population to net positive impact. And (like most of knowledge and existence, including nature itself), it is a human construct. Conservation, in my mind, is not so much about 'saving nature' as much as it is about finding ways to optimise human progress in consonance with the environment. What might be termed sustainable development.

What, then, is sustainability?
What is the target of sustainability, what are we trying to sustain? Development and growth, human well-being, nature and environment? Contrary to common belief, the three are often gracefully albeit discreetly interlinked. Sustainability is the science and art of balancing the system in the best interests of all three. This balance is hardly stable, and it is with this worldview of cosmic chaos, constant flux, and adaptive functioning that I approach sustainability.

My experiences in conservation have ranged from dragonfly ethology, avian communities, and olive ridley ecology (see Wildlife) to community-based conservation networks, alternative livelihoods, food security, and urban green infrastructure (see above).