K.N. Ninan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 31 August 1950 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Spouse | Anne Ninan |
| Academic career | |
| Alma mater | University of Kerala (B.A, M.A.) University of Mysore (PhD) |
| Awards | National Merit Scholarship (1967 - 1972) University Merit Scholarship |
Karachepone N. Ninan (born 31 August 1950) is an ecological economist. Dr. Ninan was born in Nairobi, Kenya where he had his early school education. Thereafter he relocated to India where he continued his high school and college education.
Dr. Ninan obtained his bachelor's degree in economics, Political Science and Indian History from the University of Kerala in 1972 and master's degree in economics from the University of Kerala in 1974. He was awarded a PhD fellowship by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore and obtained Ph.D. in economics from the University of Mysore in 1985. He also attended an International Summer School in Development Economics and Mathematics for Economists at the London School of Economics during June–August 1992.
Dr. Ninan joined the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore in 1978 where he held several research and faculty positions between 1978 and 2012. He became Professor of Ecological Economics in 2006 and held this position until August 2012. He was also Head of the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources in the same institute. In February 2013, along with two colleagues, he founded the Centre for Economics, Environment and Society (CEES), [1] a non-profit organisation in Bangalore working in the interface of development and environment and has been its chairperson and Honorary Professor since then.
Dr Ninan has had a distinguished professional career. He was invited as Visiting Professor at several international Universities and Institutions where he taught and/or conducted research in ecological/environmental economics especially on the economics and valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, sustainable use and management of forest and water resources, and climate economics. These include: University of Versailles, France (1 March to 30 April 2000); University of Tokyo (1 October 2004 - 30 September 2005; 5 January 2015 - 30 June 2015); University of California, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Santa Barbara, USA (1 September - 31 December 2008); University of Cambridge, UK (1 March 2014 to 31 March 2014); and ICCR Chair Professor at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (Spring Semester: 6 March 2016 to 16 June 2016). [2]
He has received numerous awards and fellowships. These include: National Merit Scholarship (1967 - 1972); University Merit Scholarship (1972 - 1974). He was awarded Visiting Fellowships of: British Council Visitor to CSERGE, University College London and London School of Economics (May 1992); Institute of Developing Economies, Tokyo (June–December 1995); Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK (April 1998 - June 1998); Indo-French Exchange Fellowship at Maison Des Sciences De L’Homme, Paris (October 2000); Japan Foundation Research Fellowship at University of Tokushima and University of Tokyo (January 2001 - June 2001), [3] and Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) Long Term Invitation Fellowship at University of Tokyo (1 April 2010 - 31 January 2011). He was appointed as a Senior Fellow in the World Resources Institute, New Delhi (from December 15, 2020) [4]
Dr Ninan's research has focused on understanding the economics and institutional aspects of biodiversity conservation in the tropical forests of the Western Ghats [5] biodiversity hotspot in Southern India which is one of the thirty-five biodiversity hotspots in the world. His work among the local communities of the tropical forests of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot is noteworthy. [6] Besides economics and valuation of biodiversity and forest ecosystem services [7] Dr. Ninan's research has focused on sustainable use and management of forest and water resources; sustainable agriculture; impact assessment of watershed and community forestry projects; climate resilience, adaptation and climate change impacts; and poverty studies.
He has published about 14 books and 70 papers on these topics. His books include:
He has published papers in top rated journals such as:
His articles in newspapers/weeklies include the following:
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to scientific knowledge and understanding about the economics of biodiversity conservation and valuation of forest ecosystem services, Dr Ninan was nominated as Co-chair [34] of a global assessment with over eighty scientists and experts from around the world to prepare a Methodological Assessment Report on Scenarios and Models of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services [35] by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in 2014. Dr. Ninan was also part of the Phase 2 team of this IPBES deliverable (2016-2019) that was tasked with developing an evolving guide for policy makers on the use of scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and develop scenarios suited for IPBES. Dr Ninan was also Contributing Author to UNEP's TEEB Report on National and International Policy Making (2011).
He was recently invited as Lead Author for Working Group III contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). [36] Dr Ninan's expertise in biodiversity and ecosystem services valuation and climate economics has also been sought by the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). He was selected as an expert member of study teams constituted by the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to advise the government on biodiversity and ecosystem services and prepare India's response to the Durban Platform on Climate Change. In 2016 he was elected as the Vice President of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE) which is the regional chapter of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE). [37] In 2018 he was elected as President of INSEE for the period 2018–2020. In 2020 he was honoured and conferred the title of Honorary INSEE Fellow by the Indian Society for Ecological Economics. [38]
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth; it is usually greater in the tropics as a result of the warm climate and high primary productivity in the region near the equator. Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10% of earth's surface and contain about 90% of the world's species. Marine biodiversity is usually higher along coasts in the Western Pacific, where sea surface temperature is highest, and in the mid-latitudinal band in all oceans. There are latitudinal gradients in species diversity. Biodiversity generally tends to cluster in hotspots, and has been increasing through time, but will be likely to slow in the future as a primary result of deforestation. It encompasses the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. All of these underpin our economy and society, and thus make human life possible.
Ecological economics, bioeconomics, ecolonomy, eco-economics, or ecol-econ is both a transdisciplinary and an interdisciplinary field of academic research addressing the interdependence and coevolution of human economies and natural ecosystems, both intertemporally and spatially. By treating the economy as a subsystem of Earth's larger ecosystem, and by emphasizing the preservation of natural capital, the field of ecological economics is differentiated from environmental economics, which is the mainstream economic analysis of the environment. One survey of German economists found that ecological and environmental economics are different schools of economic thought, with ecological economists emphasizing strong sustainability and rejecting the proposition that physical (human-made) capital can substitute for natural capital.
Forestation is a vital ecological process where forests are established and grown through afforestation and reforestation efforts. Afforestation involves planting trees on previously non-forested lands, while reforestation focuses on replanting trees in areas that were once deforested. This process plays an important role in restoring degraded forests, enhancing ecosystems, promoting carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation.
Ecosystem valuation is an economic process which assigns a value to an ecosystem and/or its ecosystem services. By quantifying, for example, the human welfare benefits of a forest to reduce flooding and erosion while sequestering carbon, providing habitat for endangered species, and absorbing harmful chemicals, such monetization ideally provides a tool for policy-makers and conservationists to evaluate management impacts and compare a cost-benefit analysis of potential policies. However, such valuations are estimates, and involve the inherent quantitative uncertainty and philosophical debate of evaluating a range non-market costs and benefits.
Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems. These ecosystems, functioning in healthy relationships, offer such things as natural pollination of crops, clean air, extreme weather mitigation, and human mental and physical well-being. Collectively, these benefits are becoming known as ecosystem services, and are often integral to the provision of food, the provisioning of clean drinking water, the decomposition of wastes, and the resilience and productivity of food ecosystems.
Sakleshpur, Sakleshpura or Sakleshapura is a hill station town and headquarters of Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) was a study led by Pavan Sukhdev from 2007 to 2011. It is an international initiative to draw attention to the global economic benefits of biodiversity. Its objective is to highlight the growing cost of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and to draw together expertise from the fields of science, economics and policy to enable practical actions. TEEB aims to assess, communicate and mainstream the urgency of actions through its five deliverables—D0: science and economic foundations, policy costs and costs of inaction, D1: policy opportunities for national and international policy-makers, D2: decision support for local administrators, D3: business risks, opportunities and metrics and D4: citizen and consumer ownership.
Earth Economics is a 501(c)(3) non-profit formally established in 2006 and headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, United States. The organization uses natural capital valuation to help decision makers and local stakeholders to understand the value of natural capital assets. By identifying, monetizing, and valuing natural capital and ecosystem services.
Pavan Sukhdev is an Indian environmental economist whose field of studies include green economy and international finance. He was the Special Adviser and Head of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative, a major UN project suite to demonstrate that greening of economies is not a burden on growth but rather a new engine for growing wealth, increasing decent employment, and reducing persistent poverty. Pavan was also the Study Leader for the ground breaking TEEB study commissioned by G8+5 and hosted by UNEP. Under his leadership, TEEB sized the global problem of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in economic and human welfare terms, and proposed solutions targeted at policy-makers, administrators, businesses and citizens. TEEB presented its widely acclaimed Final Report suite at the UN meeting by Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan.
Biogeographic classification of India is the division of India according to biogeographic characteristics. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. India has a rich heritage of natural diversity. India ranks fourth in Asia and tenth in the world amongst the top 17 mega-diverse countries in the world. India harbours nearly 11% of the world's floral diversity comprising over 17500 documented flowering plants, 6200 endemic species, 7500 medicinal plants and 246 globally threatened species in only 2.4% of world's land area. India is also home to four biodiversity hotspots—Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma region, and the Western Ghats. Hence the importance of biogeographical study of India's natural heritage.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental organization established to improve the interface between science and policy on issues of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is intended to serve a similar role to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Ian Bateman OBE US-NAS FBA FEAERE FRSA FRSB is a professor of environmental economics at the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy (LEEP) Institute at the University of Exeter. He is chief editor of the journal "Environmental and Resource Economics". He was formerly a member of the Natural Capital Committee, a member of the Defra Science Advisory Council, and director of the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE).
Lindsay C. Stringer is a Professor in Environment and Development at the University of York.
William Cheung is a marine biologist, well known for his research on the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and fisheries. He currently works as director of science of the Nereus Program and is also an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, as well as Leader at the UBC Changing Ocean Research Unit.
Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. The latter phenomenon can be temporary or permanent, depending on whether the environmental degradation that leads to the loss is reversible through ecological restoration/ecological resilience or effectively permanent. The current global extinction, has resulted in a biodiversity crisis being driven by human activities which push beyond the planetary boundaries and so far has proven irreversible.
Clive L. Spash is an ecological economist. He currently holds the Chair of Public Policy and Governance at Vienna University of Economics and Business, appointed in 2010. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Environmental Values.
The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, on the global state of biodiversity. A summary for policymakers was released on 6 May 2019. The report states that, due to human impact on the environment in the past half-century, the Earth's biodiversity has suffered a catastrophic decline unprecedented in human history, as an estimated 82 percent of wild mammal biomass has been lost. The report estimates that there are 8 million animal and plant species on Earth, with the majority represented by insects. Out of those 8 million species, 1 million are threatened with extinction, including 40 percent of amphibians, almost a third of reef-building corals, more than a third of marine mammals, and 10 percent of all insects.
Jeannine Cavender-Bares is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior. Her research integrates evolutionary biology, ecology, and physiology by studying the functional traits of plants, with a particular focus on oaks.
Madhu Verma is Indian born environmental economist presently working as Chief Economist at WRI India. She has worked extensively on Economic Valuation & Green Accounting of Ecosystems & Biodiversity, Ecosystem-Economy Modelling, Tiger & Snow Leopard Habitat Valuation, Forest- Fiscal Federalism and Payment for Ecosystem Services.
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