Start Date
12-12-2023 3:45 PM
End Date
12-12-2023 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
This presentation reports on research assessing the social-ecological dynamics of the Covid-19 lockdowns in India in 2020 and 2021. Preliminary findings of research in forest- adjacent communities in three states (Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh) suggest that while forest resources did serve as a buffer for some of the most vulnerable households, they did not stand in as a full substitute for the market-derived goods and income opportunities curtailed by the lockdowns. Findings from the research to-date suggest two major conclusions: first, the ecological context (including the seasonal timing) of the lockdowns influenced the extent to which forest communities did (or did not) have access to supporting forest resources; and second, communities identified failings in formal public-sector safety nets – rather than lack of access to forests - as a major source of distress during the lockdown periods.
Biography
Alder Keleman Saxena is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Anthropology and Sustainable Food Systems at Northern Arizona University. Over two decades, her mixed-methods research has examined the intersections of biodiversity conservation, food security, and food culture, with fieldwork in Mexico, Bolivia, and India. More recently, she has developed research on the forms of environmental damage referred to as The Anthropocene, examining how human-built infrastructure and more-than-human agents collectively create environmental harm.
Additional Links
ORCID
Forests as Social Safety Nets During the Covid-19 Lockdowns: Evidence from India
This presentation reports on research assessing the social-ecological dynamics of the Covid-19 lockdowns in India in 2020 and 2021. Preliminary findings of research in forest- adjacent communities in three states (Assam, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh) suggest that while forest resources did serve as a buffer for some of the most vulnerable households, they did not stand in as a full substitute for the market-derived goods and income opportunities curtailed by the lockdowns. Findings from the research to-date suggest two major conclusions: first, the ecological context (including the seasonal timing) of the lockdowns influenced the extent to which forest communities did (or did not) have access to supporting forest resources; and second, communities identified failings in formal public-sector safety nets – rather than lack of access to forests - as a major source of distress during the lockdown periods.