Meet the Scholar
Aditi Patil
2022, Commonwealth Shared Scholar
University of Cambridge
Aditi, nature conservationist and author of Patriarchy and the Pangolin, holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. Upon her return, she co-founded Conservation indica - a young, women-led, feminist nature conservation organization working towards making conservation research accessible and meaningful to Aditi has a decade of conservation research experience in India with organizations like MoEFCC, WCS-India and WWF-India.
About the Poster
Shadows and Shepherds: Wildlife in Shared Spaces
The semi-nomadic Maldhari pastoralists of Gujarat face conflict with wildlife like leopards and wolves due to shrinking grasslands. Compensation for livestock loss is inadequate, fueling resentment. We're developing a governance model to monitor wildlife, provide non-lethal predator deterrents, and improve access to compensation claims.
The photographs showcase semi-arid savanna grasslands, essential for wildlife and pastoralist livelihoods. The habitat is shrinking due to rapid industrialization, causing conflict between pastoralists and carnivores resulting in lethal measures to control the wild population The community meeting photograph highlights our process of building a pastoralist-driven grassland governance model.