"Deliberative Democratic Institutions for Managing Heavily Used commons for Conservation and Livelihood Sustainability"
Speaker : Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan
Senior Fellow
1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
#659, 5th A main, Hebbal, Bangalore - 560 024, India.
2. Community Environmental Resource Centre (CERC)
ATREE, Ammankovil Street, Mullackal, Alappuzha
Kerala, India (Ph: 0477 22251818)
@ : priyan@atree.org
Chairperson : Binoy V. V.
Associate Professor, Science Communication Programme, NIAS
@ : vvbinoy@nias.res.in
Date : 18 March 2026
Time : 9.30 AM
Venue : Lecture Hall
Abstract: Conservation is changing its focus from the protected regimes-protected species and protected landscapes- to the biodiversity outside these regimes. An IUCN assessment suggests that there isn't a significant difference in the number of unique or endemic species when comparing protected and unprotected sites, but the higher species richness is largely an attribute of higher overall abundance of species inside PAs. In the meantime, it is this biodiversity that lies outside the protected areas sustains people, provides health security, and protects them from environmental disasters and climate change.
However, our current conservation strategies are not adequate to conserve biodiversity in the human-dominated landscapes. The only hope of the conservation of such heavily used commons lies in the active involvement of the dependent communities in its governance. This can be made possible only by Institutionalizing community rights over protection and harvest of the natural resources to them.
To ensure the participation of the communities in conservation, an interdisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach 'Deliberative Democratic Conservation' (DDC) is attempted in the Vembanad Estuarine system in Kerala (India). DDC represents an inclusive process that prioritizes conservation ideas through consensus and fostering deliberation among various stakeholders. It establishes an inclusive institutional mechanism aimed at providing community governance for sustainable management in heavily utilized wetlands. The fundamental principles of DDC are 'Enable & Empower' and 'Transform & Transcend.'
The Vembanad wetland complex (Vembanad Lake) is the largest tropical wetland ecosystem on the southwest coast of India. The lake has a total surface area of ~36,500 ha and nearly 1.6 million people live on the banks of the lake. It is a designated Ramsar site, a wetland of global importance. It is also an important resource area for local livelihoods dependent on fishing, mining sand and lime shell deposits, harvesting live clams, an important tourist destination and supports a highly productive agricultural system including the ‘rice bowl of Kerala’. All these livelihood activities are water-based and depend largely on the lake. The environmental conditions of the lake is in a steady decline due to severe anthropogenic pressures and all these activities are to various degrees in decline because of socio-economic and ecological changes happening in the region. The commercial nature of many of these activities leads to uncontrolled resource use which poses grave threats to the ecosystem.
Conventionally, conservation and management of the resources of Vembanad especially fishery resources were vested in the hands of the local traditional communities. But the conservation and management has slowly changed hands and are now considered as the role of the state. In the pursuit of DDC, local issues and project partners were identified using Participatory Rural Appraisal techniques. Collaborations were established with government agencies, local self-governments (LSG), academia, NGOs and local community groups to create a long-term, effective and inclusive institutional mechanisms. The traditional stakeholders, such as fishers and farmers, were organized to village level grassroot organizations, collectively known as Vembanad Kayal Samrakshana Samithy’ [Vemband Lake Protection Forum, LPF], with all LPFs being federated. NGOs like ATREE play the pivotal role as process catalysts, enablers and provide technical supports. LSGs play the role of enablers and fund channelisers, while State Government & other donors provides the funds for various conservation activities
About the speaker: Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, widely known as Priyan in conservation circles, is an accomplished conservation & sustainability researcher and practitioner. His work bridges ecology, climate science, and social dimensions to tackle pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.
He is pioneering 'Deliberative Democratic Conservation (DDC)'—an alternative paradigm designed to foster consensus among stakeholders for effective policy formulation and the creation of enduring, inclusive institutional mechanisms for conserving heavily used commons and ensuring livelihood sustainability. In this capacity, he actively engages with policymakers to advance science-based climate adaptation strategies and works directly with local communities to implement resilience-building programs. His significant contributions to the conservation of Vembanad Lake (Kerala, India)—the largest tropical wetland ecosystem on India's southwest coast and a designated Ramsar site—have earned acclaim from conservationists worldwide (www.vembanad.org).
Beyond his conservation and sustainability efforts, Priyan is a highly accomplished taxonomist and ecologist. He has described over 150 new insect species and several new genera. His extensive publications include five books, more than 100 research papers, and numerous popular articles.
He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore and holds a doctoral degree from the University of Calicut, Kerala.”