Ajit Kumar Pattnaik

India

Senior Scientific Advisor at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India

Dr. A.K. Pattnaik is a globally renowned expert in natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable ecosystem governance, with over four decades of distinguished contributions. His expertise spans Integrated Water Resource Management, Lake Basin Management, Integrated Coastal Zone Management, climate change adaptation, and disaster resilience, shaping innovative governance frameworks for critical aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Pattnaik is internationally acclaimed for his pioneering ecological restoration of Chilika Lake, a Ramsar site and a coastal wetland of global significance. His integrated lake basin management approach played a pivotal role in removing Chilika Lake from the Montreux Record, marking one of the most successful wetland restorations worldwide.

From 2010 to 2017, he served as Project Director of the World Bank-supported Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project in Odisha, spearheading sustainable coastal governance. Additionally, he led the formulation and execution of India’s first third-generation forestry sector initiative, the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project, funded by JICA with a budget of ₹10 billion.

As a strategic policy advisor and international consultant, Dr. Pattnaik has made substantial contributions to India’s Blue Economy Policy, advocating for institutional reforms and governance models aligned with global best practices. He has also provided expert guidance on World Bank and Asian Development Bank initiatives for integrated natural resource management.

Dr. Pattnaik holds prestigious positions on scientific panels, including the Scientific Committee of the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), Japan, and the International Steering Committee of the Ramsar Centre Japan. He currently serves as Senior Scientific Advisor at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and continues to advise multiple global organizations.

With over 100 scientific publications, book chapters, and international presentations, Dr. Pattnaik’s contributions have profoundly shaped global discourse on ecosystem resilience, sustainable governance, and climate adaptation strategies.