WELCOME TO ATREE WORK SEMINAR 2025
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About Us

The ATREE Work Seminar (AWS) is an internal biennial event that brings together our students, researchers and staff to share ongoing work, discuss future project ideas and celebrate interdisciplinarity!

This interactive seminar germinated in 2012 during a student meeting where the need was felt for a platform of young researchers and practitioners within ATREE. A platform to communicate their work, interact and share insights with other professionals and students, and receive and provide feedback to one another in a nurturing environment. Since then, AWS has been organised in the years 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. AWS 2025 is the Seventh edition. The AWS platform is open to Staff, faculty, students, research associates (RAs), and representatives of ATREE’s Community Conservation Centres (CCCs). It provides a space where they can disseminate and discuss their achievements, work findings, and discuss potential work proposals with the larger ATREE community.

Over five days, the event will feature a series of workshops and talks spanning diverse environmental and sustainability themes.

Ecological Research for Environmental Conservation

Conflict v/s Coexistence: Understanding Human-Wildlife Interactions

Frontline Communities & Sustainable Livelihoods

Nature/Culture: Integrating Traditional Knowledge for Sustainability

Policy for Conservation and Climate Resilience

Scientific Insights for Ecological Restoration

When People Lead: Stories of Community-Led Ecological Restoration

Tech to the Rescue: Technological Solutions for Ecological Problems

Design and Education for a Climate Resilient Future

Schedule



Speaker Topic Duration
Chandrima Home Grant Writing Workshop – This workshop provides a comprehensive guide to crafting effective research grant proposals, covering essential elements and common components required for success. 10:00 AM – 01:00 PM
Sujata Seshan CSR Grant Writing Workshop – The workshop will comprehensively explore key aspects of securing and managing funding under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
(Classroom 313) 		02:00 PM – 05:00 PM
Palani Kumar Workshop – Visual storytelling 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM


Speaker Topic Duration
Shivshanker, Safe fire and Safety Services Fire Drill Workshop 14:00 PM - 14:30 PM
Nikhil Paul First Aid workshop Batch 1: 10 AM - 1 PM
Batch 2: 2.30 PM - 5 PM


Speaker Topic Duration
AWS Team Introduction 09:50 AM- 10:00 AM
Anita Arjundas, Executive Director Welcome Note 10:00 AM- 10:10 AM
Sindhu Radhakrishna Keynote address 10:10 AM - 10:40 AM
Film-Directed by Hassan Shahnowaz About ATREE 10:40 AM -10:45 AM
TEA BREAK (10:45 AM to 11:00 AM)
G. Ravikanth Overview of ATREE Academy 11:00 AM - 11:10 AM
Jaya Peter ATREE Communication and Outreach 11:10 AM - 11:20 AM
Asmita Sengupta Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Planning 11:20 AM - 11:35 AM
Mathivanan M Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre 11:35 AM - 11:50 AM
Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan Vembanad Community Conservation Centre 11:50 AM - 12:05 PM
Siddhartha Krishnan Ecosystems and Human Well-being 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM
Siddappa Setty R. Forests, Governance and Livelihoods 12:20 PM - 12:35 PM
C. Madegowda and Harisha R. P. BRT and MM Hills Community Conservation Centres 12:35 PM - 12:50 PM
Soubadra Devy Resilient Urbanscapes 12:50 PM - 01:05 PM
LUNCH BREAK (01.00 PM to 2.00 PM)
Sachin Tiwale Water and Society 2:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Nakul Chettri The Himalaya Initiative 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Sailendra Dewan Darjeeling Community Conservation Centre 2:30 PM -02:45 PM
Abi Tamim Vanak Centre for Policy Design (CPD) 02:45 PM -3:00 PM
Poster Presentation and TEA BREAK (3:00 PM to 4:00 PM)
Panel Discussion Diverse journeys. The why of what we do. 4:00 PM - 5 PM
Fun workshop Unconference games and printing workshop with eco colours by Ms. Evangeline Y 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Download the detailed schedule here.
Speaker Topic Duration
Introduction to Theme 1 Ecological Research for Environmental Conservation 10:00 AM - 10:05 AM
Seena Narayanan Karimbumkara Assessing Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Diversity Across Man-Made Wetlands of Chhattisgarh 10:05 AM - 10:14 AM
Sagna A Uncovering Ecological Richness in a Peri-Urban Lake: A Case Study of Baiyappanahalli Lake 10:14 AM - 10:23 AM
Priyanka Borah Diet of Asian Toad 10:23 AM - 10:32 AM
Poster Display TEA BREAK (10:32 AM to 10:42 AM)
Sahanashree R Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) of Siang Valley, India. 10:42 AM - 10:51 AM
Snigdha Butterfly, butterfly, where are you going? Climate Change and Host Plant Dependency: Predicting the Future Distribution of Two Butterflies in India 10:51 AM - 11:00 AM
Vanishree Naik Long Hours and Short Notes with Bonnet Macaques from an urban ethologist 11:00 AM - 11:09 AM
Paul Pop Patterns of occupancy and detection of two endemic montane birds 11:09 AM - 11:18 AM
Arjun Kannan Harriers in a grassland matrix – Itinerancy and habitat selection by wintering Montagu's Harriers in India 11:18 AM - 11:27 AM
Chethana Casiker Linking biodiversity, food, and community through PLUME 11:27 AM - 11:36 AM
Sarika Mapping Invasion: Spatial and Ecological Dynamics of Lantana camara in Malai Mahadeswara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary 11:36 AM - 11:45 AM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 1 11:45 AM - 11:47 AM
Introduction to Theme 2 Conflict v/s Coexistence: Understanding Human-Wildlife Interactions 11:47 AM - 11:48 AM
Srijana Sharma Mountains in Motion: Climate, Conflict, and Community in Eastern Himalaya 11:48 AM - 11:57 AM
Diksha Socioeconomic Impact of Scrub Typhus in Sikkim 11:57 AM - 12:06 PM
Tithi Kagathara Exploring Human-Lion relationship through Digital Media in Human-dominated Landscape of Saurashtra, Gujarat 12:06 PM - 12:15 PM
Vinay Kumar Pastoralism and Coexistence: Exploring Human-Wildlife Interactions through Field Narratives 12:15 PM - 12:24 PM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 2 12:24 PM - 12:26 PM
Introduction to Theme 3 Frontline Communities & Sustainable Livelihoods 12:26 PM - 12:28 PM
Hritik Bhatnagar Learning from community-led plantations in CFRR Villages (Bastar, Chhattisgarh) 12:28 PM - 12:37 PM
M. Mathivanan Facing the Deluge: How Floods Disrupted Grazing Communities in Tamil Nadu 12:37 PM - 12:46 PM
Teresa Scholastica Thomas Shared Spaces, Shared Futures: Reimagining Ecotourism in Thirupudaimaruthur, Tamil Nadu 12:46 PM - 12:54 PM
Sneha Shahi Wading through Tamiraparani 12:54 PM - 13:03 PM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 3 13:03 PM - 13:05 PM
Poster display LUNCH BREAK (13.05 PM to 2.00 PM)
Introduction to Theme 4 Nature/Culture: Integrating Traditional Knowledge for Sustainability 14:00 PM - 14:01 PM
Amritha Yadav K From Ragi to Rice: Food and Social Change in Attappady, Kerala 14:01 PM - 14:10 PM
Harisha R P A weed for nutrition and sustainable food systems: The silver cockscomb (Celosia argentea) 14:10 PM - 14:19 PM
Abhijit Dey Mahua - one step towards change 14:19 PM - 14:28 PM
Rajkamal Goswami Quantifying provisioning services from rapidly declining Gomalas (grazing commons) of Chikkaballapur district 14:28 PM - 14:37 PM
Vivek Murugan Indigenous local knowledge and practice of tank water irrigation in the new Cauvery Delta of Tamil Nadu. 14:37 PM - 14:46 PM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 4 14:46 PM – 14:48 PM
Introduction to Theme 5 Policy for Conservation and Climate Resilience 14:48 PM - 14:49 PM
Muhammad Amaan Shaikh Living with the floods: Stories from Bengaluru 14:49 PM – 14:58 PM
Fathima Hanna M Co-creating Climate Literacy Framework: Listening to Fishing, Farming, and Grazing Communities 14:58 PM – 15:07 PM
Gourilekshmi Hari Evaluating the Singapore Index on Cities Biodiversity (CBI) as a Policy Tool for Urban Biodiversity Conservation in India 15:07 PM – 15:16 PM
Kulothungan Plugged In, Pumped Dry: How Free Power Shapes Groundwater Use in the Kaveri Delta, Tamil Nadu 15:16 PM – 15:25 PM
Kunal Pardeshi Reversing the pressure: How introduction of pipes changes head-tail dynamics in the irrigation command area 15:25 PM – 15:34 PM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 5 15:34 PM –15:36 PM
Poster Display TEA BREAK (15:36 PM – 16:00 PM)
CPD Team Integrating Policy Thinking into Environmental Research and Practice 16:00 PM – 17:00 PM

Download the detailed schedule here.
Speaker Topic Duration
Introduction to Theme 6 Scientific Insights for Ecological Restoration 10:00 AM – 10:01 AM
Ranjith Kumar H T Plant Community Indicators of Savanna Degradation within Gomalas of Bagepalli 10:01 AM – 10:10 AM
Saravanan A Transforming Plantations into Wilderness: Pathways to Forest Recovery in KMTR 10:10 AM – 10:19 AM
Thalavaipandi S Laying the Groundwork for a Riparian Restoration Stewardship Framework, with Fish as the Key Starting Indicator 10:19 AM – 10:28 AM
TEA BREAK (10:28 AM to 10:38 AM)
Aavika Dhanda Patterns of uncultivated bioresource trade in the formal markets of Siang Valley 10:38 AM – 10:47 AM
Thanigaivel A Integrating Ecological Science and Community Stewardship for Riparian Restoration of the Tamiraparani River 10:47 AM – 10:56 AM
Selvakumar S Patterns of Vegetation in Grassland of Tirunelveli 10:56 AM – 11:05 AM
Hymavathi and Jayanth Integrated vulnerability assessment of Baiyappanahalli Lake: Insights from baseline studies 11:05 AM – 11:14 AM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 6 11:14 AM – 11:16 AM
Introduction to Theme 7 When People Lead: Stories of Community-Led Ecological Restoration 11:16 AM – 11:17 AM
Maneeja Murali "From Tragedy to Custodianship: Community-Led Restoration of Vembanad Lake"- Highlights the transformation and the central role of Lake Protection Forum. 11:17 AM – 11:26 AM
Narayanan B Effective control and management of invasive Lantana camara in MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary 11:26 AM – 11:35 AM
Nivedita A Rewilding a Neighborhood Lake: A Convergence of Citizens, City Administration, and Science at Venkateshpura Lake 11:35 AM – 11:44 AM
Siddhi Kulange Vrushabhadri: a Monolith of Hope 11:44 AM – 11:53 AM
Concluding Remarks to Theme 7 11:53 AM – 11:55 AM
Introduction to Theme 8 Tech to the Rescue: Technological Solutions for Ecological Problems 11:55 AM – 11:56 AM
Dipanwita Dutta Mapping landuse and landcover in multifunctional landscapes of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal 11:56 AM – 12:05 PM
Praisy Swetha S Adding Sustainability to Your Urban Gardens: Introducing Namma Thota Decision Support Web-tool 12:05 PM – 12:14 PM
Rohan Baishya Developing standardised monitoring and evaluation protocols for CCAs using avifauna monitoring 12:14 PM – 12:23 PM
Pallavi Tyagi Leveraging WebGIS Technology for Facilitating Recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights in Central India 12:23 PM – 12:32 PM
Concluding Remarks for Theme 8 12:32 PM – 12:34 PM
Introduction to Theme 9 Design and Education for a Climate Resilient Future 12:34 PM – 12:35 PM
Radha Patkar Conservation Comic for dummies- A walk through 12:35 PM – 12:44 PM
Vaishnavi Lokesh Children’s knowledge of medicinal plants: Piloting a place-based environment education initiative in the Adivasi communities of Kesla Block, Madhya Pradesh, India 12:44 PM – 12:53 PM
Reema Anand Sajjam: A Community-Centric Model for Disaster Resilience in the Sinking Landscape of Kuttanad Integrating Local Governance, Environmental Education, and Technology 12:53 PM – 13:02 PM
Maria Antony Conservation Connect: Equipping Educators to Bridge Children and Nature 13:02 PM – 13:11 PM
Concluding Remarks for Theme 8 13:11 PM –13:15 PM
LUNCH BREAK ( 13:15 PM to 14:00 PM)
Alumni Meet Panel Discussion - Across the Years: Reflecting on and Reimagining Roles 14:00 PM – 15:00 PM
TEA BREAK/FOOD STALLS (15:00 PM to 16:00 PM)
Networking and Games 16:00 PM –17:30 PM
Culturals 17:30 PM –19:30 PM
Dinner 19:30 PM onwards