Girija Godbole

Girija Godbole is currently doing Ph.d. at University of Cambridge under Gates Cambridge Trust scholarship. Her research seeks to understand the changing relationship between land and women in rapidly changing rural society in western Maharashtra. Previously, she coordinated a research project for the University on understanding perceptions of various stakeholders of participatory forest management in India. In addition to assistance in data collection and analysis, she was also involved in developing and implementing uptake and communication activities.

She has worked with Centre for Environment Education (CEE) and World Wide Fund for Nature Pune divisional office and as a researcher-writer for a developmental portal infochangeindia.org. She also participated in Save the Western Ghats March organized in 1987-88 to study the environmental and developmental issues. Ms Godbole played a pivotal role in the Maharashtra State Participatory Forest Management Network as its co-convener. She is also associated with Jeevan Sanstha since 1995 and has assisted in its watershed and women empowerment initiatives.

Girija is interested in strengthening efforts to build capacities of rural women through participatory natural resource management and using traditional and modern media for raising awareness that will ultimately feed into action towards environmental protection and conservation.

Girija recently completed her M.Phil. in Environment, Society and Development from University of Cambridge. She did her post-graduation in Anthropology from University of Pune in 1995 and undertook certificate course in environment education at CEE, Ahmedabad. She is a recipient of Robert S McNamara Fellowship of the World Bank for Role of NGOs in Development in 1997-98 and British Chevening Scholarship for Young Indian Environment Managers in 2001. She was awarded Commonwealth Professional Fellowship to work at International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) at London in 2006.