Dear All,

The Department of Environmental Studies cordially invites you to a Ph.D. Candidacy Presentation (OQE) on

Date:  5th May 2026, Tuesday

Time: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Venue: Ramachandra Hall, Ground Floor, AC05 

Title: Fire, Herbivory, and Tree-Grass Systems during the Holocene in the Core Monsoon Zone, India: Insights from Biophysical Data and Indigenous Knowledge

Speaker: Jishnu Borgohain, PhD Scholar Environmental Studies Department

Abstract: While ecosystems are influenced by both biophysical and anthropogenic factors and vary over long time scales, ecological datasets often span only a few decades. Given this short time scale, it remains difficult to disentangle the full range of ecological variability. Although ecological studies have long recognised human-environment interactions, there is limited understanding of the long-term influence of human activities on ecosystems. Given this context, whether ecosystems are solely influenced by biophysical factors or whether human activity has also co-created the landscape remains contested. This project uses palaeoecology to understand the ecosystem, its dynamics, and the role of human activity in co-creating the Central Indian landscape (Core Monsoon Zone) across the Holocene. Simultaneously, drawing on anthropology, this project employs systematic reviews and ethnographic methods to explore the worldviews and knowledge systems through which Adivasi communities characterise and use fire as well as perform grazing practices that may influence the local vegetation. In doing so, the dissertation aims to highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary approach that integrates palaeoecological and anthropological data, without arguing for historical continuity, to foster a critical understanding of the environment and to inform environmental stewardship, conservation, and management.

Bio: Jishnu (he/him) is a PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Meghna Agarwala. For his PhD, he will investigate long-term human–environment interactions by combining palaeoecological proxies with insights from cultural anthropology. Jishnu holds a master's degree in environmental science from Pondicherry University. Prior to joining as a PhD student, he worked as a junior research fellow at the Neuroethology Lab at Ashoka University and as a research assistant with Aaranyak (NGO), Assam. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music and doing street photography.

We encourage interested students and faculty members to join the talk.

We look forward to your active participation in the talk.

warm regards,

Environmental Studies Department