Dr Dr P.C. Abhilash

Senior Assistant Professor, IESD, BHU, Varanasi, India

Banaras Hindu University VaranasiIndia

Research focus

P. C. Abhilash is affiliated as a senior Assistant Professor (Stage III) of Sustainability Science at the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, BHU, Varanasi, India and Group Leader of the Agroecosystem Specialist Group of the Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), IUCN. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of exploring ecological solutions for sustainability and thereby achieving the UN-Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, he is interested in the restoration of marginal and degraded lands for regaining ecosystem services and supporting a bio-based economy, land system management, sustainable utilization of agrobiodiversity, nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptations for climate-resilient and planet-healthy food production, and sustainable agriscape management for food and nutrition security. He is also interested in policy research and realignment, sustainability analysis, sustainability indicators, circular economy principles, and localization of the UN-SDGs. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Anthropocene Science (Springer Nature) and serving on the Editorial Board of leading journals in Ecology, Environment & Sustainability from Wiley, Elsevier, Springer Nature, MDPI, BMC etc. He also visited the São Paulo State University, Brazil; the Beijing Normal University, China and the University of Sharjah, UAE as a Visiting Professor and taught courses for Masters & PhD. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) & National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS), India; and a recipient of the INSA Medal for Young Scientist, NASI-Platinum Jubilee Young Scientist Award, ICAR-Lal Bahadur Shastri Young Scientist Award, HIYOSHI Young Ecologist Award, and Malaviya Memorial Young Faculty Award of BRSI. He is involved as a subject expert for various UN agencies (UN-IPBES, IRP-UNEP, UNDP-BES Network, IPCC, UNCCD) and other international organizations such as APN, GLP, and IUCN Commissions (CEM, CEC, CEESP, & SSC) for fostering global sustainability. He also visited Universities in the USA, UK, Japan, China, Nepal, Brazil and UAE as part of his academic research.

SDG targets

2.1

Universal access to safe and nutritious food

2.2

End all forms of malnutrition

2.3

Double the productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers

2.4

Sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices

2.5

Maintain the genetic diversity in food production

2.A

Invest in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology and gene banks

13.1

Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related disasters

13.2

Integrate climate change measures into policies and planning

13.3

Build knowledge and capacity to meet climate change

15.1

Conserve and restore terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems

15.2

End deforestation and restore degraded forests

15.3

End desertification and restore degraded land

15.5

Protect biodiversity and natural habitats

15.6

Promote access to genetic resources and fair sharing of the benefits

15.8

Prevent invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems

15.9

Intergrate ecosystem and biodiversity in government planning

15.A