Satya Prasanna -Senior Consultant

Satya Prasanna is a distinguished social activist and researcher dedicated to exploring the intricate politics and governance of natural resources in India. His work, deeply rooted in the scenic landscapes of Himachal Pradesh within the Western Himalayas, spans over three decades, weaving together the efforts of social movements and esteemed research institutions. Satya's expertise in developing Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) models has been recognized internationally, leading to consultancy roles with prominent organizations such as the UK's DFID, Germany's GIZ, and Winrock International in the US, as well as significant contributions to projects focusing on climate adaptation and environmental behavior at the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan, respectively.

For the past decade, Satya has played a pivotal role as a consultant for the Indian School of Business, delving into research on community institutions, equity in resource distribution, sustainability, and operational strategies. Currently, he serves as a Senior Advisor at the IoFE, where his guidance is instrumental in addressing community-based challenges and fostering equitable and sustainable practices.

His career is marked by a commitment to addressing a range of critical issues, including conserving biodiversity through traditional knowledge, promoting sustainable livelihoods through incentive-based ecosystem services, managing natural resources at the community level, analyzing the commodity chain of the medicinal plant trade in the Himalayas, and developing biomass indicators to enhance forest management benefits. Beyond his activism and research, Satya occasionally ventures into filmmaking, collaborating with a broad network of academic researchers, social activists, policymakers, donor representatives, and fellow filmmakers, contributing a unique perspective to the environmental discourse.