Meenal TATPATI

Meenal Tatpati is a lawyer researcher with a keen interest in the jurisprudence and governance mechanisms of forests, Her earliest work has been with research and advocacy on the implementation of the Forests Rights Act and its interplay with other forest legislation, particularly its relevance in the governance and management of Protected Areas and the unrealised potential of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) provisions. Some of the highlights of her work have been documenting the life stories of the women of the Dongria Kondh community in Odisha, India and the Raika pastoralist community in Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. She has keenly been observing and writing on the development of legislation and schemes regarding carbon markets in India and their impact on local communities. She is currently working as a research and policy associate with Women4Biodiversity where she is engaging with the Convention on Biological Diversity, working on integrating gender considerations in the work of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Her current work entails supporting the advancement of the indicator on Target 23 of the KMGBF,  which was co-developed with UNEP-WCMC, and other stakeholders to ensure human rights and gender responsiveness to biodiversity governance. She is a member of the Grassroots Justice Network, Kalpavriksh and an honorary member of the ICCA Consortium.