January - May 2025
1. Bridging the gap between on-ground knowledge and law-making, and capacity-building of CSOs and individuals on environmental laws
We are pleased to announce that we started the year with multiple consultations on the challenges faced by researchers, filmmakers and the eco-tourism sector while working with wildlife outside of Protected Areas (PAs) such as Wildlife Sanctuary, National Parks, etc. While the consultations are ongoing, the team has spoken to 27 experts so far, working in habitats ranging from the himalayan ecosystems to coral reefs and gathered their insights on the policy and governance issues working with wildlife outside PAs. The team is planning to use these discussions to understand the legal and policy reforms required to support bonafide conservation action for conservation of wildlife in human-dominated landscapes, and outside PAs.
A. Workshops, Consultations and Meetings Hosted by Us
Continuing with our commitment to held build capacity among CSOs, we have organised the following events so far in 2025:
- Vidhi partnered with Madhya Pradesh Biodiversity Board, and SNHC India in hosting the ‘3rd National Conference on Lesser-known Species of Madhya Pradesh’, in Bhopal on 17th-18th January 2025.
We also curated and moderated a panel discussion with Dr Suhas Kumar (Former PCCF, Madhya Pradesh), R. Srinavasa Murthy (Ex-Member Secretary of MP State Biodiversity Board), Dr. Anish Andheria (President, Wildlife Conservation Trust), Prof Yogesh Dubey (Faculty, Indian Institute of Forest Management), and Ms. Parveen Sheikh (Scientist, Bombay Natural History Society). It helped document experiences, identify policy gaps and generate interest in conserving wildlife outside of Protected Areas.
As a co-host, we have also prepared a draft policy recommendation from the discussions which is being finalized by the organizing committee. We are also supporting the organizing committee to expand the conference to cover the whole central Indian landscape.
- Book adda featuring Pranay Lal, a renowned natural history writer, as he discussed his book ‘Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent’. The hybrid event took place at Vidhi’s Delhi office on 12th February, 2025 and discussed legal and policy gaps in the protection and restoration of fossils in the country. (Watch the Live Recording Here) (Related Post on Grove)
B. Workshops, Consultations and Meetings Participated as Resource Persons/ Speakers
In the first half of 2025, the team participated in following discussions and workshops as resource person and speaker:
- Consultation Workshop organized by the Chintan Environment Action Group on 4th February 2025 for their submissions on the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2025.
- Panel Discussion “The Environment and Union Budget 2025-26” organized by Impact and Policy Research Institute on 06 February 2025. (Click here to read minutes)
- “Two-day workshop at Narayani Bioregional Samagam” organised by Jagriti Enterprise Centre (JECP) - Purvanchal, Rainmatter Foundation and Accenture in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. The workshop took place on 14-15 February 2025. Following this Vidhi will be advising the Bioregional Centre of Excellence at JECP on biodiversity recovery plans, formulation of a policy for human-wildlife conflict at local levels.
- “Two-Day Workshop on Legal and Policy Frameworks for Conservation of Orans/Deo-banis: A Focus on the Recent Supreme Court Judgement” organized by KRAPAVIS in Alwar, Rajasthan. The workshop took place on 24-25 February 2025, and focused on the recent Supreme Court judgment directing orans to be recognised as community reserves. An informal working group was then constituted to facilitate the process, address the concerns of local communities and help to build their capacity in identifying and notifying community reserves.
- Panel Discussion “Real Talk: Climate Policy Beyond the Hashtags” with Lord Meghnad Desai (UK Parliamentarian) organised by the Journalism Department, Lady Shriram College, Delhi University and Climate Cadets Collective on 16th April, 2025 in New Delhi.
- International Conference on “Our Power, Our Planet: Sustainable Agriculture & Biodiversity in Changing Climate” on 20th April 2025, organised by 360 Research Foundation and Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), West Champaran, Bihar.
- “Consultation Workshop on Aravalli Green Wall Restoration Program” organized jointly by Rajasthan Forest Department and The Nature Conservancy India in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 22-23rd April, 2025. The event involved multi-stakeholder dialogues, with Vidhi presenting legal and policy challenges for landscape restoration in the Aravallis.
2. ‘The Green Mandate’- A Unique Platform for In-Depth Discussions on Legal and Policy Issues in Conservation
We continued season 3 of the Green Mandate by hosting a discussion on the topic of “River Interlinking Projects” on 20th February at India International Centre. The panel consisted of Mr. Shashi Shekhar (Former Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources), Mr. Jasbir Singh Chauhan (Former PCCF of Madhya Pradesh) and Mr. Himanshu Thakkar (Coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People). The event saw around 50 participants including senior conservationists, members of the media and former bureaucrats and provided them with a comprehensive understanding of the legal, social and ecological challenges of implementing river-linking projects. It also got wide coverage in print media. (Watch the live recording here)
The next session of the Green Mandate saw a discussion focusing on ‘Access, Ethics, and Law in Wildlife Research and Filmmaking’ with Dr. Vidya Athreya, Director of Wildlife Conservation Society India and Ms Akanksha Sood Singh, Founding Partner of The Gaia People. The event was a first-of-its-kind public dialogue on the intersection of law, ethics and media in India and allowed for a discussion on how regulatory processes constrain legitimate research and documentation efforts outside of Protected Areas. The video recording will be uploaded soon. (Related Post on Grove)
3. What’s next?
We are excited to announce that new issues of the Green Hour - a periodical publication which traces environmental-related issues during official parliamentary sessions - will be available soon. Last year, we released Issue I of Volume II, covering the Winter Session 2023 and Interim Budget Session of 2024. Previous issues of The Green Hour can be accessed here. We are presently in the works to release Issue II of Volume II of the report - focusing on the Monsoon Session 2024. This issue will tackle the first full parliamentary proceedings after the general election of 2024.
Apart from our ongoing research to address the legal barriers faced by wildlife researchers outside protected areas, we are also in the works for an exciting new project.
In June, we are planning to kickstart a series of consultations addressing the legal and policy challenges faced by researchers and conservationists in tackling alien invasive species in India. These meetings will help us bring together a community of scientists, conservation practitioners, forest managers and lawyers working on managing invasive alien species across different biogeography and species in India… The Climate and Ecosystems team is hoping to develop a model framework for addressing invasive species to support early detection, control and mitigation strategies.
We are also advising a group of scientists, civil society members and other professionals who are working to address bird deaths from collisions to windows of high rise buildings, issue of noise pollution around Protected Areas, legal protection of sacred groves, and other such ecological matters which require policy interventions. Please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].