Supervisor: Ravikanth G.

I study what makes landscapes valuable, ecologically, economically, and culturally. My research in the BR Hills looks at how communities value the landscapes they live in, beyond just what the market can measure. I use participatory methods, biophysical assessments, and economic tools (with caution) to understand how ecosystem services and land use decisions shape each other.

Before this, I worked on coastal ecosystem services in the Gulf of Mannar and groundwater use in Coimbatore—both cases where natural resources and livelihoods are deeply entangled. With a background in agricultural economics, I now spend more time questioning numbers than multiplying them.

When I’m not decoding ecosystem values, I’m usually hiking, painting, or humming off-key—often all at once.

Publication: Saha, D., Kumar, D. S., Krishnan, P., Mukherjee, R., Vidhyavathi, A., Maheswari, M., & Vijayabhama, M. (2024). Balancing Nets and Lives: A Socio-Ecological Analysis of Sustainable Fisheries on the Indian Coast of the Gulf of Mannar. Sustainability, 16(20), 8738. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208738