Restoring 100 Hectares: Participatory Strategies for Managing Invasive Senna uniflora in Gujarat’s Grasslands

Aditi Patil (2022–23)

Co-founder and Director – Conservation indica, Gujarat, India

Aditi Patil is a nature conservationist, writer, and Founding Director of Conservation indica, a young, women-led organisation working to make conservation research more accessible and grounded in lived realities. A Commonwealth Shared Scholar, she completed an MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge (2022–23). With over a decade of experience in India, Aditi has worked on illegal wildlife trade with Wildlife Conservation Society–India and served as a Young Professional at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, alongside wider experience with organisations such as WWF-India. Her work sits at the intersection of biodiversity research, governance, and community stewardship, particularly in under-recognised landscapes like semi-arid grasslands. She is the author of Patriarchy and the Pangolin and has also contributed to conservation storytelling as a documentary scriptwriter.

Sandeep Sharma (2022–23)

Conservator of Forests, Kullu Circle, Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, India

Sandeep Sharma is a forestry and conservation leader with ~23 years’ experience spanning forest policy, restoration finance, and public engagement. He earned an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge (2022–23) and trained at the Wildlife Institute of India (PG Diploma in Wildlife Management, 2008), alongside postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in forestry. He has previously served as Senior Assistant Inspector General of Forests at India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, contributing to sustainable forest management and biodiversity policy, including compiling 500+ sector guidelines (2019) and strengthening transparency through improved online forest-clearance workflows. He currently serves as Conservator of Forests, Kullu Circle and Director of the Great Himalayan National Park.

Albina Mamedova (2022-23)

Project Lead, Kumisi Lake Restoration, Georgia

Albina Mamedova is a conservation professional from Georgia (Sakartvelo) who combines transboundary environmental protection experience with community-driven approaches. Trained in ecology and natural resource management, and with a background in international relations, she brings a strong socio-ecological lens to complex conservation challenges. An alumna of the University of Cambridge MPhil in Conservation Leadership (2022–23), she focused on transboundary conservation and restoration in the Black Sea region and has experience navigating diverse regulatory and stakeholder contexts

She currently leads the Kumisi Lake Restoration initiative in Georgia—laying the groundwork for a cost-effective, community-led wetland conservation model at a major bird hotspot. The project is building baseline ecological and hydrological evidence (including bird monitoring, drone mapping, and camera-trap surveys), piloting small-scale restoration such as an artificial island, and establishing a local conservation hub to support long-term stewardship.

Mrunmayee Amarnath (2020-21)

Mrunmayee isa 2020–21 alumna of the MPhil in Conservation Leadership and now serves as Technical Specialist – Enterprise at Fauna & Flora in Cambridge, UK. Drawing on extensive experience in India, she supports the design and delivery of market-based and financial mechanisms that address conservation challenges across Africa and Asia. Her commitment to biodiversity conservation began in India’s Western Ghats, where she worked with WildCAT-C, a local advocacy NGO in her hometown. She later held senior roles including Head of Finance and Administration at Wildlife Conservation Society–India and Executive Director of WildCANE in Chikkamagaluru. Her work spans semi-arid grassland conservation and Western Ghats priorities such as unregulated tourism, voluntary resettlement, human–elephant conflict, wildlife trade, legal barriers to sustainable development, and public awareness. She specialises in conservation enterprise, sustainable supply chains, and innovative finance, combining global perspective with deep local ecological and cultural knowledge.