Divya Narain
Biodiversity Fellow Jan-April 2017
Background
Even as a student pursuing my MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Management at Oxford University back in 2010-11, I was keen to explore the interactions between business and biodiversity, one of the most important drivers of ecosystem change globally. I realized that nowhere in the world were these interactions more pronounced than in India – both a megadiverse country and the fastest-growing emerging economy that packs one-fifth of the world’s population into one-fiftieth of its area. I have spent the past few years understanding the biodiversity-related impacts, dependencies and risks for business, with the objective of influencing policy and practice through research, training and consulting. I have watched the conservation vs. development battle intensify, as India undertakes ever more development of extractives and infrastructure.
What are your plans while you are here at Oxford?
During my fellowship at ICCS, I wish to concentrate my research efforts on biodiversity offsetting and biodiversity-related business risks. How robust are the metrics used for measuring impacts and sizing offsets? Are businesses effectively utilizing the concept of ‘no go areas’ to pre-empt and avoid siting-related biodiversity risks? These are a few questions that I hope to answer during my fellowship.
While my domain expertise lies in Business and Biodiversity, Biodiversity Offsets and Business Sustainability, my functional competencies include e-learning technology, training content development and content management systems. I have had the opportunity to work with a range of stakeholders, having developed, taught and managed e-learning and face-to-face training programmes for corporate employees, consultants, policymakers and postgraduate students in the area of corporate environmental management with a specific emphasis on corporate biodiversity management.
With a view to complementing my professional pursuits, I have been undertaking policy research in the areas of biodiversity offsets and biodiversity finance. My first peer-reviewed publication appeared in Science in August 2016.
Professional Experience
Senior Associate
Environmental Management Centre, Mumbai, April 2013- Present
- Created and taught an e-learning course on Biodiversity Impact Assessment and Management in partnership with Bombay Natural History Society, India’s largest conservation research NGO
- Created modules on ‘Business and Biodiversity’ for group-wide employee training at the Aditya Birla Group, one of India’s biggest multinational conglomerates
- Taught a course on ‘Ecology and Biodiversity’ to M.Tech. class at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay (consecutively for 2 yrs.)
Biodiversity Finance Expert
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-Net), Sept. 2016 – Present
BES-Net is a UNDP-managed capacity building “network of networks”
Consultant,
GIZ, India, Oct. 2015- July 2016
Supporting the development of e-learning modules on ‘Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Management’
Intern
Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme, Forest Trends Association, 2011-12
- Authored policy paper titled 'A Case for Voluntary Biodiversity Offsets in India: From Business Risk to Competitive Advantage'
- Organized and Presented at Webinar on 'Biodiversity Offsets and No Net Loss in India'
- Part of Forest Trends' delegation to CBD CoP-11, Hyderabad
Consultant
Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, 2011
- Carried out a study on ‘Assessing the Potential for voluntary carbon offset projects in the private forests of North Western Ghats’
- Co-authored CEPF-funded project report chapter on 'External Financial Incentives for Conservation of Private Forests'
Education
MSc in Biodiversity Conservation & Management
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, 2010-11
- Resource person for UNEP SCBD's sub-regional workshop on Biodiversity Finance Mechanisms at CII's 10th National Sustainability Summit – Presentation and Video, Sept. 2016
- Contributed as the expert from India to a study titled ‘La compensation écologique à travers le monde: source d’inspiration ?’ by Mission Economie de la Biodiversité of CDC biodiversité
