Uniting science and social equity, speaker explores building bridges for climate action
When forestry experts discuss topics such as deforestation prevention and fire preparedness, the conversation is typically technical and solutions-driven. When social experts discuss the same topics, the conversation turns to power dynamics, inequities, and rights. Is it possible to focus on both concurrently without losing sight of either the social or technical needs and perspectives?
Kalpana Giri, senior manager at the nonprofit environmental research organization World Resources Institute, built her career around this question. Daily, she works through the tension of addressing issues of land degradation through restoration solutions and addressing the social needs of those impacted — or left behind — by the changes these solutions may bring.
On Nov. 14, Giri will discuss the challenges and nuances of integrating the human dimension into natural resource management as the next speaker for both the Women and Gender in International Development Discussion Series and the Diverse Voice and Perspectives Lecture Series.
Both series — one from the Center for International Research, Education, and Development and the other from the associate provost for the arts — are opening this shared event to the university community as part of International Education Week.
Disparity between the classroom and life
Giri was an undergraduate studying forestry in Nepal when she discovered a disconnect between academic understanding and people’s lived experiences around forests.
Every year, she vacationed with her family in a rural forested region of Nepal. In a few hour’s drive, she would go from learning about forest management in the heart of the city to sleeping in the forest’s shadow. There, under the trees, she saw things that were never addressed in her classes. She was learning all about lumber, sustainability, and resource management; she wasn’t learning about the diverse needs of individuals living in and around forests.
“People weren’t just using their forests for wood. Forests were shelter, a place to forage mushrooms, and — for some of the groups — it was also a space for worship and rituals,” Giri said. “Seeing that mismatch between academia and people’s lived experience was what first sparked my curiosity.”
She began creating her own spaces to explore and question the human angle, adding questions to understand the human story of technical issues. She found groups of like-minded women in STEM and sought out mentorships and literature regarding the social science perspective. She continued chasing these questions throughout her Ph.D. in forest science.
Today, working with the World Research Institute, Giri is a bridge between two worlds: the technical, science-based world of restoration and the human interest-based world of social research and policy.
“My forester background has opened doors for me in places which would be closed if I were only wearing a social scientist’s hat,” Giri said. “A lot of industry leaders in these technical spaces perceive gender and social scientists as a group that couldn’t understand their needs. When I introduce myself as a forester and a social scientist, I immediately get a different reaction and buy-in. The technical experts and scientists I am talking with seem to feel and understand that I ‘get them,’ I understand where they’re coming from.”
Success shows a way forward
In her current role, Giri has seen both an increased need for restoration-focused solutions that address climate and land degradation and an increasing desire to enhance the social and human impacts of restoration solutions. She says these rising priorities have spurred both technical and social sectors to promise action and levy critiques, yet true progress remains slow.
“Where do gender and social equity fit within the urgency for restoration and climate change solutions?” Giri asks in the abstract of her presentation. “On one hand, higher ambitions are pledged for equality, both in terms of finance, and just transitions. On the other hand, conventional, business-as-usual approaches to gender and social mainstreaming persist.”
To address this challenge, Giri will discuss successful projects she has been a part of that were able to integrate and implement gender and social equity approaches within restoration practices. She will invite audience members to consider the implications of these successes for navigating the complex interplay of restoration, climate change, and social justice through development practice.
The presentation will be delivered via Zoom on Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, though pre-registration is required. If you need accommodations of any kind to attend the event, please email pratirakshyak24@vt.edu.
