Changing Climate – Land – Life Interplay: Spatial Approaches for Biodiversity, Agriculture, and Land Resilience in Emerging Economies

Author Biography

Dr Parth Sarathi Roy, FNASI, FNAAS; is Ph D in Ecology; main contributions are in Earth Observation Science: Vegetation Science, Land Use and Land Cover Change, Biodiversity & Climate Science. Thirty-five years in ISRO/DOS (1977-2012) in various scientific positions - superannuated as Director IIRS - ISRO. He was Chair Professor at University of Hyderabad, (2012-18); Advisor and NASI Senior Scientist ICRISAT (2018-2020) and Senior Fellow, World Resources Institute India (2020-2024). He has been awarded with B P Pal National Environmental Fellow by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India, ISRO Performance Excellence Award and Bhaskara Award by Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS). His main research area has been Spatial ecology and geoinformatics for natural resource management. He has been involved in several national projects and initiatives that aim to promote restoration, conservation, and management of natural resources in India and beyond. https://www.linkedin.com/in/parth-sarathi-roy-74831761/ Dr Swati Basu has Master in Physics and Ph D in Air pollution from IIT, New Delhi. She is Former Scientific Secretary, Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India. Her previous positions include Director of the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) and Adviser in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. Her scientific contributions are well recognized in Monsoon Mission SSC, Urban Climate and extreme events. She has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to go up to 80-degree North in the Arctic during July 2013 representing India. https://www.linkedin.com/in/swati- basu-moes/ Dr Sanjay Kumar, FNA, FNAAS, FNASI, Chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi, previously served as Director of CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT). His scientific achievements include discovering a carbon fixation pathway to boost photosynthetic efficiency, developing an autoclavable superoxide dismutase enzyme, and advancing understanding of secondary metabolism and adaptive mechanisms in plants. As director, Dr Kumar spearheaded initiatives addressing malnutrition, preserving traditional knowledge, conserving biodiversity, and promoting waste management. His team introduced high-value crops—asafoetida, saffron, monk fruit, Russian accessions of sea-buckthorn, apple, cinnamon, liquorice, lilium, and tulip—to non-traditional regions, promoting self-reliance in India. His promotion of aromatics made Himachal Pradesh a leader in wild marigold essential oil production. Dr Kumar’s commitment to the bioeconomy launched startups, spurred a surge in technology transfers, and expanded entrepreneurial agreements to bring institute-developed products to market. He is recognised as a distinguished scientist in the field of agricultural innovations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjay-kumar-aa94a1137/ Dr Reshma M. R. is accomplished researcher in the field of Ecology, Land Use and Land Cover Change (LULCC), Climate Change and Environmental Sciences. Her field of research has been in the areas of LULCC, Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) and quantitative Ecosystem Services. She has seamlessly integrated recent and historical LULC maps for predicting future LULC maps in different climate change scenarios in Eastern Ghats. Her recent work pertains to data-driven solutions including remote sensing and geospatial data for various Land use and conservation solutions for policy and decision makers. https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshma-mr-641a5b49/ Dr Renu Swarup, FNA, FNASI, is Ph. D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding. She has been Former Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. Having served in Department of Biotechnology for over 30 years, she was also the Chairperson of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Additional Charge Secretary Department of Science &Technology for a short period. She did her Post Doctoral Research at The John Innes Centre, Norwich UK, Dr. Renu Swarup has been instrumental in the planning and implementation of some major National programs. During COVID pandemic situation she led the COVID Vaccine Diagnostic and Genome sequencing Mission. Dr Renu Swarup steered scientific issues of national importance related to the policy planning and their implementation. She was member of the Task Force on “Women in Science” constituted by the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister. Currently the she is Vice Chair of the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) Copenhagen, Denmark and Member of the Board of Trustees of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. She is received many awards, prominent are P. Sheel Memorial Award – NASI, TWAS Regional Science Diplomacy Award; and YB Chavan National Award 2021 for Public Service. https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrenuswarup/