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Sunita Chaudhary

Ecosystem Services Specialist, Ecosystem Services

My role at ICIMOD

As an Ecosystem Services Specialist, I am responsible for research, capacity building, networking and advocacy for sustainable ecosystem management in the region. My research focus is interdisciplinary in nature and I adopt mixed methods to analyse socio-ecological issues. I help generate evidence that can guide actions for protecting ecosystems and addressing climate change impacts. To do so, I provide technical and policy support to build the capacity of different stakeholders through trainings, workshops, and cross-learning visits. A key role is networking with peers and other organizations for just conservation and development outcomes.

Sunita Chaudhary

Q:

How do you protect the pulse of the planet?

A:

I work at the juncture of science, policy and advocacy in order to promote just ecosystem management at the local, national, regional and global level. In this way I contribute to protecting the pulse of the planet.

Q:

What is your favourite part of the work you do at ICIMOD?

A:

I work with people from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, and we constantly learn from each other. I consider this a great privilege.

Q:

What are you passionate about?

A:

I am passionate about protecting nature and improving the lives and livelihoods of people of this region. A proud mother of two girls, I also love to play table tennis, swim, and travel to new places.

Q:

My qualifications

A:

I am a trained forester with several years of research and teaching experience in natural resources management in Australia, Austria, Cambodia and the Hindu Kush Himalaya. I earned my PhD from Macquarie University in Australia, where I critically analysed the global ecosystem services discourse with a case study on the Mai Pokhari Ramsar Site of Nepal. I have an MSc in protected area management (Austria), BSc in forestry (Nepal) and a graduate-level Asia Pacific Leadership Certificate from the University of Hawaii (USA). I was a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge, UK and the University of British Columbia, Canada. I have been awarded several fellowships and grants including Nepal Bidhya Bhusan ‘B’, MQ Research Excellence Fellowship, East-West Centre Graduate Fellowship, Austrian Development Agency, Ford Foundation, WWF Prince Bernhard, Nuffic, and International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), among others. I have published over two dozen articles in peer reviewed journals and have authored book chapters, some of which can be accessed at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UMMd1jAAAAAJ&hl=en

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