Ashish Kothari, 2023-06-03

Ashish Kothari is an environmentalist, activist, and founder of Kalpavriksh, a non-government organization focused on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. He has contributed to the formulation of India’s Biological Diversity Act and National Wildlife Action Plan, advocating for community-based conservation and indigenous rights.

He was involved with various people’s movements such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Beej Bachao Andolan. He also assists in the coordination of initiatives such as the Vikalp Sangam and the Global Tapestry of Alternatives. His work extends to global environmental governance through roles with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). Kothari has served on the Board of Directors for Greenpeace International and Greenpeace India and was Co-Chair of the IUCN Inter-commission Strategic Direction on Governance, Equity and Livelihoods.

Kothari has authored or edited over thirty books and 400 articles, including Churning the Earth, Alternative Futures: India Unshackled, and Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary, all of which explore critiques of conventional development models and propose alternatives centered on ecological democracy, degrowth, and equitable resource use.