
Milind Wani is based in Pune. He spent 20 years in the IT sector before joining Kalpavriksh. He is the programme coordinator for Kalpavriksh’s Documentation and Outreach center, and edits its newsletter entitled People in Conservation. He can be reached at [email protected].

Pankaj Sekhsaria is a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh where he works on issues of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and also edits the bi-monthly newsletter, the Protected Area Update. He is a freelance journalist, photographer and author, most recently, of 'Islands in flux - the Andaman and Nicobar Story' (HarperCollins India 2017) and 'The Last Wave – an island novel' (HarperCollins India 2014). He has authored/edited three other, non-fiction books, two of which are based in the A&N Islands

Shrishtee is a researcher and writer working on the themes of earthy governance, worldviews and systemic transformations. She joined environment action group-Kalpavriksh (India) in 2016 and currently coordinates the Alternatives program within the group. She helps facilitate the Vikalp Sangam (Alternatives Confluence) process and is one of the founding members of Global Tapestry of Alternatives. She serves on the executive committee of Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.

Pradeep Chavan has been working with Kalpavriksh since August 2008. He has a Master’s degree in English Literature from Pune University and a Diploma in Social Work from Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapith, Pune. His major interest areas are conservation, livelihood sustenance, conservation education & cultural revival through the grass root interventions. He has been directly engaged on the ground towards mobilising local communities (particularly women and youth) towards inclusive and community based biodiversity management and governance in 6 villages in and around the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, Pune (MS).

Prabhakar Rao has been a member of Kalpavriksh (KV) for many years. He has an M-Phil and PhD from Delhi University in the area of organizational behaviour. His interests are in the area of legal framework of laws relating to nature and wildlife. He is also interested in issues relating to management of PAs. He has been coordinating the urban ecology work in KV Delhi.

Vipul Sangoi is a founder a member of Kalpavriksh. He is a communication designer. His consultancy, Raindesign, works with NGOs, performing & visual arts organisations and artists in communications strategy, graphic design, photography, film, video and digital media. He designed the Kalpavriksh logo.

Sanjay Sondhi is a Dehradun-based naturalist with a keen interest in writing and photography. He is a member of Kalpavriksh and Founder Trustee, TITLI TRUST. He works primarily in western and eastern Himalayas supporting grass-root conservation, eco-tourism and conservation education focussing on birds, butterflies, moths and herpetofauna.

Arnaz thinks of herself as an early starter and late bloomer, like the Chinese bamboo. With almost a decade in the social change space (since 2015), she has not limited herself in her quest to explore ways of contribution. Her zest for learning has opened her up to interesting journeys and experiences. She loves being a jack of all and enjoys the versatility that it brings to her being. With a mass media degree, she did professional documentation work with Centre for Education and Documentation (CED), Bombay before shifting to Pune in 2021 to work with Kalpavriksh as Vikalp Sangam's website curator and editor. Apart from curating and editing the VS website, she also actively supports the facilitation of the VS process as a member of the Vikalp Sangam Facilitation Team. Click below to read more...

Learner | Listener | Observer Worked as a field associate with Ankur Society for Alternatives in Education and have more than three years of experience working with children and young women in marginalized colonies (worked in Sunder Nagari, Delhi). Experimental pedagogy | includes watching cinema, book reading, writing stories and poems, storytelling, photography, observing characters and writing about them, and doing community research. I enjoy working with young women and children. Likes watching cinema and is passionate about writing. Roots - Sitamarhi, Bihar Moved to Delhi in 2009, and worked with different organizations (media & publication). Currently based in Pune.

Roshni Kutty is a researcher and writer working at the intersection of biodiversity governance, community-based conservation, and environmental policy in India. Her work focuses on the legal and institutional frameworks that shape conservation practice, with particular attention to community conserved marine and coastal areas, Forest Rights Act, and participatory governance models. She has engaged extensively with field-based research in coastal and forested landscapes, examining how local communities negotiate conservation, livelihoods, and ecological change. She identifies herself as a political ecologist. Her interests include strengthening community rights within environmental law, improving implementation of biodiversity legislation, and advancing inclusive conservation approaches that balance ecological integrity with social justice. Through research, writing, and collaborative engagement, she seeks to bridge policy frameworks and lived realities in India’s diverse socio-ecological contexts. She holds a PhD in Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore. Her thesis examined the ‘Socio-institutional systems that influence varied implementation of collective forest rights in the Western Ghats of Karnataka’. She completed her Masters and Bachelors Degrees in Botany from Pune University. She currently coordinates the marine program of ICCA Consortium-South Asia.

Neha’s roots are in Uttarakhand, and she enjoys both quiet moments and working outdoors. She holds a Master’s in Environmental Science (Natural Resource Management) and has worked with several conservation organisations. Since joining Kalpavriksh in December 2024, she has been part of the Conservation and Livelihood team, managing the Self‑Strengthening Support Programme and on‑ground work in Uttarakhand. She also contributes to the Community Conserved Areas team, with her current focus shifting toward research‑driven work with communities.

Chandramouli has been part of KV since Oct 2023. He helps coordinate the Vikalp Sangam process, a network of 90+ organizations across India that are working on various kinds of Alternatives. He also helps support the TALC (The Alternatives Learning Collective) and Alternative Decentres initiative. Before joining Kalpavriksh, he worked in Education for several years before the ongoing climate crisis made him rethink is life path and contribute towards a more just and sustainable world.

Seema Kakade, has almost 30 years of experience in the social development sector. She has worked at both community level and policy level, in various roles such as community-mobilizer, network-facilitator, policy-advocate, trainer and researcher. Her areas of work include rural and urban governance, natural resource-based livelihoods, and rights-based legislation such as the FRA, the VB-RAM-G Act, and PESA. Seema is associated with the Bhimashankar Program as a governance mentor. She is also a member of Kslpavriksh and also part of the core group.

Parvata Vanghare is a local community member from Mahadeo Koli indigenous community, residing at Bhivegaon village on the boundary of Bhimashnkar wildlife Sanctuary, pune, Maharashtra. She is a member of Kalpavriksh and has been working actively on the Bhimashankar conservation and livelihood program for the last 9 years. Her major interest area is women and youth empowerment, vis-a-vis conservation and livelihoods.

Govind Khalsode has been working with KV for more than a decade. He joined as an office assistant back in 1999, and is now the administrator. He handles a variety of administrative tasks like photocopying, printing, mailing and typing out documents. He also helps manage all KV publications.

Prajakta Kulkarni, who has a Masters degree in Commerce began helping manage KV accounts in 2005. She joined as a member of permanent KV staff as an accounts coordinator in January 2008. Ever since that, she has been single handedly (and good humouredly) keeping record of all the finances and making sure that we pay our bills.