Prajjwal Gajanan Khedkar

Profile

I am a researcher in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. My research examines forest governance and conservation politics in India, using the Forest Rights Act (2006) as a critical policy lens. Empirically, my work focuses on Indigenous Adivasi communities in the Vidarbha region of central India, where questions of forest rights, commons governance, climate vulnerability, conservation priorities, and human-wildlife conflict intersect.

My PhD project examines how conservation and climate governance are reshaping community forest rights, livelihoods, and place-based relationships with forests. Rather than treating conservation as a purely ecological endeavour, I approach it as a political process through which rights, knowledge systems, territories, and futures are unevenly recognised and valued. I explore how Adivasi communities navigate state conservation priorities, climate-related pressures, and the everyday challenges associated with human-wildlife conflict. My research is grounded in the interdisciplinary traditions of political ecology and environmental justice.

Before starting my PhD, I worked as a development practitioner across rural and forested regions of India. This experience continues to inform my methodological approach, particularly my interest in participatory research, community engagement, and the politics of policy implementation.

Research interests

1. Forest Governance
2. Climate Justice
3. Commons and Livelihood
4. Human-Wildlife Conflict
5. Conservation Colonialism
6. More-than-Human Political Ecology
7. Natural Resource Management
8. Grounded Theory
9. Speculative Research Methods

Qualifications

• MA Development, Azim Premji University, (Bengaluru Campus)
• Bachelor’s in Media Convergence, Savitribai Phule Pune University

Research groups and institutes

• Social Justice, Cities, Citizenship