Meha Jain, 2007 Fellow

Project Summary
During her Compton fellowship year, Meha measured the environmental effects of traditional rural conservation practices in India. Most policy makers and conservationists claim that indigenous communities are detrimental to the environment since these communities rely on forest products for their livelihoods. However, there is little scientific evidence that has determined indigenous communities’ effects on the environment. Thus, understanding indigenous communities’ relationship with the land is important because they are often marginalized and displaced by comprehensive environmental policies that are not necessarily based on scientific evidence. In reality, indigenous communities may have age-old traditions that are not only sustainable for India’s forests but also preserve the traditions and practices of indigenous people. Meha’s mentor, Professor Smitu Kothari, is on the Board of Directors of Intercultural Resources. This organization is a forum for research and political activism of alternatives to destructive development.

Personal Profile:
Meha is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology, Evolutionary, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University. She is interested in studying community conserved areas for her Ph.D dissertation.

Currently resides in:
New York, New York

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