Ravishankar Thupalli

International expert in community involved conservation and sustainable forest management (SFM), biodiversity, mangrove management and agro-forestry. Expert in livelihood enhancement and poverty reduction of indigenous / tribal and fishermen community through research, training and capacity building of stakeholders. Experienced in identifying issues, developing and implementing grants proposals for National and International agencies, and monitoring and evaluation. Expert in developing climate resilient livelihoods through climate smart agriculture (CSA) and climate resilient fisheries (CRF) in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Smart Agriculture & Paris Climate Agreement. Expert in Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) of coastal forests and mangroves altered by cyclonic storms and tsunami. Expert in forest sector review and in developing and implementing forest and biodiversity Policies and Acts, strategies and action plans. Possess a sound understanding of implementation challenges in forest and biodiversity policies and Acts in the Asia Pacific region, particularly in India. Expert in taxonomy, floristic survey and skilled in conservation of rare, endangered, threatened (RET) and endemic plants. Well trained to oversee multiple functions of projects concurrently, while assisting the core team in carrying out important governing functions. Experienced in providing timely inputs for desired project outcomes with verifiable success in optimizing resources to achieve the mission at hand and earning the confidence of stakeholders. Experienced in documenting ethnobotanical data on plants species used in food, medicine, and material value and NTFP. Experienced in the application of Access and Benefit Sharing provisions and traditional practices of tribal communities in biodiversity conservation and management and traditional agricultural practices. Hands on experience on quantitative Ethnobotany in Kilifi forests, Mombasa, Kenya.

Skilled in participatory approaches on integrated tribal and fishermen and fisheries development and in developing and implementing mechanisms on Mainstreaming Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation into Production Sectors along the east and west coasts of India. Specialized in developing awareness tools. Skilled in editing reports and documents of FAO and other agencies. Provided technical advice and implemented projects on mangrove forest restoration in more than 1,500 ha and coastal shelterbelts with multiple value tree species. Developed home gardens with fruit trees to support community livelihoods. Possess knowledge in micro-credit based livelihoods enhancement through women Self Help Groups. Have proven expertise in strategic planning and implementation by efficient leadership. Lead driving force behind the implementation of several projects since 1985 increasing the income of thousands of families in the Asia Pacific region. Proven experience of working with grassroots organizations, NGOs, Govt. agencies in the Asia and Pacific region and UN organizations. Proven record of developing productive sourcing relationships with various partners in a multi-sectoral environment capitalizing on growth opportunities through mutual development.

Teaching experience as a lecturer at State Forest Service College, Coimbatore, India.

Experienced in developing project proposals including GEF and GCF Concept Notes and FSPs for biodiversity, mangroves including Climate Change, Carbon Credits and REDD+ and implementing, monitoring and evaluation and process documentation
Developed GEF projects for Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and India for UNDP, UNEP, and FAO
Developed FAO 2014 - 2018 Country Programming Framework on Agriculture and Rural Development for India as a team member
Developed UNDAF 2014 – 2018 country programme of India for UNDP as a team member
Undertook mid-term and final evaluations of medicinal plants and mangrove projects in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh
Developed a compendium of global best practices in mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into production sectors
Developed guidelines on Joint Mangrove Management and Policy briefs on Joint Mangrove and Shelterbelt (Bio shield) Management
Developed and Implemented projects on Biodiversity, Mangroves and mangrove associates and coastal shelterbelts for FAO, ADB, WB and UNDP, UNEP, JICA, KfW, CFC and funded by Government of Finland, SIDA, GTZ, IDRC, CIDA, IPGRI, MacArthur Foundation, and Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Nippon Koei India and Government of India

Joined 2015

Organisation

FAO