Kunal Sharma
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Conservation and Sustainability
- Indigenous people
- Climate Change
- Responsible Tourism
Biography
I have worked on issues of conservation and sustainability in the past. My primary learnings have revolved around interdisciplinary research on traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous people, mitigating negative human wildlife interaction, practical sustainability action, small scale restoration and impacts of tourism formerly with Keystone Foundation, Jungle Lodges and Resorts, GIZ and Wildlife Trust of India.
I have a Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management from Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal and a Bachelor’s degree from Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Courses
Framing Environmental Science and Sustainability
Help develop a social-environmental systems perspective on environmental science and sustainability challenges.
Integrating sustainability — Concepts, Policies and Practice
Understand sustainability as an every-day practice
Publications
Books
- Sharma, K and Tiwari, N.D. (2011). Wild Vistas — Journeys with Jungle Lodges and Resorts. Jungle Lodges and Resorts.
- Nath, S. and Sharma, K. (2007). Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains, IUCN, The Netherlands Committee, Keystone Foundation.
Chapters in Books
- Sharma, K and Kumar, L. (2021). Linking Ecotourism and Biodiversity Conservation — Perspective from India. In Sustainable Use and Biodiversity Conservation in India (In Print), 2021.
- Potter, T.H. and Sharma, K. (2018). Honey Corridors in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Appalachian Coal Production Areas. Pp 297 – 314 in Global Mountain Regions: Conversations towards the Future. (ed) Ann Kingsolver and Sasikumar Balasundaram, Indiana University Press, URL: https://global.indiana.edu/research/framing-the-global/publications/Global-Mountain-Regions.html
- Sharma, K. and Vasudevan, S. (2008). Documentation and promotion of indigenous knowledge for NTFP management — A case of honey harvesting. In: Adaptive management of medicinal plants and non-timber forest products G. A. Kinhal and R. J. Rao (eds): 131 – 140.
- Sharma, K. and Vasudevan, S. (2006) Documentation of indigenous Knowledge in the Nilgiri Hills of India. Pp 135 – 139 in Conserving Medicinal Species: Securing a Healthy Future. Miththapala, S. (ed) IUCN: Ecosystems and Livelihoods Group, Asia. URL: https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/documents/2006 – 022.pdf
Popular Articles
- Sharma, K. (2021, August 30) Conserving Chitkul: Why the ‘last village of India’ cannot be allowed to drown in plastic. Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/waste/conserving-chitkul-why-the-last-village-of-india-cannot-be-allowed-to-drown-in-plastic-78719
- Sharma, K. (2021, August 21) The Environment is still not an idea whose time has come. The Wire. https://science.thewire.in/environment/the-environment-is-still-not-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/
- Sharma, K., Vasudevan, S. and Deora, S. (2021, July 26) Can a People’s Biodiversity Register contribute to Conservation. The Bastion. https://thebastion.co.in/politics-and/environment/conservation-and-development/can-a-peoples-biodiversity-register-contribute-to-conservation/
- Sharma, K., and Vasudevan, S. (2021, July 24). Sights and Stories from Karavali. Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/spectrum/spectrum-top-stories/sights-and-stories-from-karavali-1012286.html
- Sharma, K. (2021, July 16). Sherni – A Review. Saevus. https://www.saevus.in/sherni-a-review/
- Sharma, K. (2021, June 01). Pre-summer Rains: How the Charm of Chandigarh Endures. Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/environment/pre-summer-rains-how-the-charm-of-chandigarh-endures-77204
- Tomar, M., Ghosh, A., and Sharma K. (2021, May 30). India’s Illegal Pangolin trade is now on YouTube. And There are Hundreds of Subscribers. The Print. https://theprint.in/opinion/indias-illegal-pangolin-trade-is-now-on-youtube-and-there-are-hundreds-of-subscribers/667422/
- Sharma, K. and Chowdhary, S. (2021, May 27). A Forest in a City: Maintaining Chandigarh’s Green Cover in the Face of Urbanisation. Mongabay. https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/a‑forest-in-a-city-maintaining-chandigarhs-green-cover-in-the-face-of-urbanisation/
- Sharma, K. (2021, May 13). No Country for any People. The Hans India. https://www.thehansindia.com/news/cities/bengaluru/no-country-for-any-people-686070
- Sharma, K. (2021, May 03). When We Wrong our Own People. Daily Pioneer. https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/columnists/when-we-wrong – our-own-people.html
- Sharma, K. (2021, April 05). In Communion with the Forest, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/spectrum/spectrum-top-stories/communion-with-the-forest-970526.html
- Sharma, K. (2021, March 21). Heart of Chipko, Reni Village’s Journey from Glowing Example in Environmentalism to a Tale of Ecological Devastation, The Tribune. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/heart-of-chipko-reni-villages-journey-from-glowing-example-in-environmentalism-to-a-tale-of-ecological-devastation-228319
- Sharma, K. (2021,March 17). A Gem Shines in the Himalayas post-COVID, The Rise. https://therise.co.in/6400/a‑gem-shines-in-the-himalayas-post-covid/
- Sharma, K. and Bhaskar, A. (2021, January 13). How Indigenous Communities Faced Off Against COVID-19 Globally, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/health/how-indigenous-communities-faced-off-against-covid-19-globally-75046
- Sharma, K. (2021, January 10). ASHA Workers: Forgotten Covid-19 Invisibles. Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/asha-workers-forgotten-covid-19-invisibles-936426.html
- Dutta, A. and Sharma, K. (2020, December 27). How the Mekedatu Dam Project in Cauvery Valley Endangers Four Threatened Species, The News Minute. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-mekedatu-dam-project-cauvery-valley-endangers-four-threatened-species-140376
- Dutta, A. and Sharma, K. (2020, December 09). Hampi — Where Heritage meets Nature, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/hampi-where-heritage-meets-nature-925190.html
- Sharma, K. and Pulimottil, S. (2020, December). Harmful Reverence, Saevus, pp16-19.
- Sharma, K. (2020, November 06). Biodiversity Governance: A mix of Knowledge and Forest Management for Benefit Sharing, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-and-biodiversity/biodiversity-governance-a-mix-of-knowledge-and-forest-management-for-benefit-sharing-74120
- Sharma, K. (2020, November 05). Biodiversity Governance: Access and benefit sharing and its implications on agricultural resources, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-and-biodiversity/biodiversity-governance-access-and-benefit-sharing-and-its-implications-on-agricultural-resources-74109
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (2020, October 25). Himalayan bears sleeping less and Sarus cranes not nesting in monsoon only. That’s bad news, The Print. https://theprint.in/opinion/himalayan-bears-sleeping-less-sarus-cranes-not-nesting-in-monsoon-climate-change/530341/
- Sharma, K. (2020, October 19). Climate Change Will Make Anomalous Flooding in India’s Urban Sprawls the Norm, The Wire. https://science.thewire.in/environment/hyderabad-urban-flooding-climate-change-anomalous-rainfall-urban-infrastructure/
- Sharma, K. and Bhaskar, A. (2020, October 15). Behold the Covid theatre of the absurd, The Pioneer. https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/columnists/behold-the-covid-theatre-of-the-absurd.html
- Sharma, K. and Bhaskar, A. (2020, October 01). We Stand at an Eerily Similar Phase as With the Spanish Flu, The Wire. https://science.thewire.in/health/we-stand-at-an-eerily-similar-phase-as-with-the-spanish-flu/
- Sharma, K. (2020, September 29). When the Volunteer Does Not Want to Volunteer Any More, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/when-the-volunteer-does-not-want-to-volunteer-any-more-894517.html
- Sharma, K. (2020, September 22). 3 Decades of Biodiversity Governance: Convention on Biological Diversity, Biological Diversity Act and ABS. https://therise.co.in/4653/biological-diversity-and-biodiversity-governance/
- Sharma, K. (2020, August 08). Time to educate about Nature, The Rise. https://therise.co.in/3355/time-to-educate-about-nature/
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (2020, July 25). Silicon City’s Ecological Fortress, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/spectrum/spectrum-top-stories/silicon-city-s-ecological-fortress-865363.html
- Sharma, K. (2020, July 18). A Call to Link Post-Corona Recovery with India’s Forestry Target of 33%, The Rise. https://therise.co.in/2411/a‑call-to-link-post-corona-recovery-with-indias-forestry-target-of-33/#comments
- Dutta, A. and Sharma, K. (2020, July 06). Some unexpected lessons for living with wildlife post-COVID, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-and-biodiversity/some-unexpected-lessons-for-living-with-wildlife-post-covid-72150
- Sharma, K. (2020, 02 July). Biodiversity Governance: The Agreements and Laws that Help Enforce it, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-and-biodiversity/biodiversity-governance-the-agreements-and-laws-that-help-enforce-it-72094
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (2020, July 03). Court Stays Rail Project Through Western Ghats That Activists Say Isn’t Needed at all, Indiaspend. https://www.indiaspend.com/court-stays-rail-project-through-western-ghats-that-activists-say-isnt-needed-at-all
- Sharma, K. (2020, June 23). An Open Letter to Forest Denizens to Avoid Being Road Killed, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/forests/an-open-letter-to-forest-denizens-to-avoid-being-roadkill-71911
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (2020, June 19). Government Must Rethink Railway Projects in Uttar Kannada, Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-and-biodiversity/govt-must-rethink-railway-projects-in-uttara-kannada-71858
- Sharma, K. (2020, May 07). Coronavirus: How a Virus changed our lives forever, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/spectrum/coronavirus-how-a-virus-changed-our-lives-forever-834586.html
- Vasudevan, S. and Sharma, K. (2020, April 25). Lessons for Sustainability: Indigenous People and Forests go Hand in Hand, The Wire. https://science.thewire.in/environment/lessons-for-sustainability-indigenous-people-and-forests-go-hand-in-hand/
- Sharma, K. and Hembrom, P. (2019, December 08). How a tiger is poached in India in 2019: Breaking down the supply chain, The Print. https://theprint.in/opinion/how-a-tiger-is-poached-in-india-in-2019-breaking-down-the-supply-chain/332064/
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (December 2019). Conserving Corridors, Saevus,
- Dutta, A. and Sharma, K. (2019, September 29). Pench National Park has a Problem of Two states and One Forest, The Print. https://theprint.in/opinion/pench-national-park-has-a-problem-of-two-states-and-one-forest/295476/
- Sharma, K. (2019, September 15). Hampi Uninterrupted, JLRExplore. https://jlrexplore.com/explore/guest-articles/hampi-uninterrupted
- Sharma, K. (2019, July 24). Can Building Flyovers for Animals Reduce Wildlife Fatalities in India? The Wire. https://thewire.in/environment/animal-flyover-wildlife-corridor
- Sharma, K. (2019, May 22). How Biodiversity Heritage Sites can turn out to be a lifeline for India’s conservation movement, Mongabay. https://india.mongabay.com/2019/05/commentary-biodiversity-heritage-sites-could-turn-out-to-be-a-lifeline-for-indias-conservation-efforts/
- Sharma, K. and Dutta, A. (2019, May 21). Still far from an Ecological Renaissance, The Quint. https://www.thequint.com/voices/opinion/not-just-activism-india-needs-green-renaissance-today-climate-change
- Dutta, A. and Sharma, K. (2019, April 25). Human-Wildlife Conflicts could Consume the forest department in the long run, The Wire. https://thewire.in/environment/human-wildlife-conflicts-could-consume-the-forest-department-in-the-long-run
- Sharma, K. (2019, April 11). Hope and Despair in the Remnants of Dandakaranya, Mongabay-India. https://india.mongabay.com/2019/04/commentary-hope-and-despair-in-the-remnants-of-dandakaranaya/
- Sharma, K. (2019, March 10). Revival Lessons from a Magical Land, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/revival-lessons-from-a-magical-land-722391.html
- Sharma, K. (2019, February 27). Tadoba: The Story of a Park Under Siege, The Wire. https://thewire.in/environment/tadoba-the-story-of-a-park-under-siege
- Sharma, K. (2014, October 13). Reaching out to Pachyderms, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/content/435800/reaching-pachyderms.html
- Sharma, K. (2009, November 30). A Walk in the Nilgiris, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/content/38671/a‑walk-nilgiris.html
- Sharma, K. (2009, July 20). Catch-22 situation for tribes, Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/content/14857/catch-22-situation-tribes.html
- John, M. and Sharma, K. (March 2008). Eco Foot Prints — Using People’s Participation as a Way Forward, LEISA India. https://keystone-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/Using_people’s_particpation_as_a_way_to_go_forward_115.pdf
- Sharma, K. (2008, March 14). A taste of Sweet Honey, ed: Voice from the forest, pp 8 – 9, NTFP-EP, Manila. https://ntfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Edition-No.-14 – 2008-Mar-25 – 1.pdf
- Sharma, K. (2007, November 30). The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Bees for Development Journal 87. http://resources.beesfordevelopment.org/documents/t/the-nilgiri-biosphere-reserve/
- Sharma, K. (2007, November 30). Honey Hunting in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Bees for Development Journal 87. http://resources.beesfordevelopment.org/documents/h/honey-hunting-in-the-nilgiri-biosphere-reserve/
Paper
Roy, P., Leo, R., Thomas, S., Varghese, A., Sharma, K., Prasad, S., Bradbear, N., Roberts, S. Potts, S. and Davidar, P. (2011).Nesting requirements of the rock bee Apis dorsata in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Tropical Ecology. 52(3): 285 – 291.