14th Eastern Himalayan NaturenomicsTM Forum 2026
30th October-3rd November 2026
Guwahati, Assam, India
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The Future of the Third Pole and the Eastern Himalaya
The Third Pole home to the world’s third-largest store of frozen water directly shapes the Eastern Himalaya’s environment, ecosystems, water systems, and communities. As shifting environmental conditions accelerates glacier melt, disrupts monsoons, and threatens biodiversity, the 14th EHNF will focus on solutions that secure the Eastern Himalaya’s role as a resilient ecological and economic hub within the Third Pole system.
The 14th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum, to be held from 30 October to 3 November 2026, will convene a week of conversations across five leading academic institutions in Assam, each dedicated to a critical theme shaping the future of the Eastern Himalaya:
- 30 October | TISS Guwahati – Communities, Culture & Indigenous Futures
- 31 October | Cotton University – Forests & Biodiversity
- 1 November | Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) – Water & Energy
- 2 November | Gauhati University – Sustainable Land Futures
- 3 November | Assam Royal Global University – Green Technology, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Bringing together global experts alongside local changemakers, the forum will feature strategic dialogues, policy labs, innovation showcases, research presentations, cultural experiences and youth-led conversations that connect science, policy, business and community knowledge. Together, these conversations aim to build collaborative pathways for conservation, climate resilience and nature-positive development across the Eastern Himalaya and the Third Pole.
More than a conference, EHNF is a growing movement to catalyse partnerships, inspire action and reaffirm that the future of the Eastern Himalaya depends on placing nature at the centre of development.
Register nowConfirmed speakers
Dr. Pisupati Balakrishna
Head, United Nations Environment Programme, India
India
Margaret (Meg) Lowman, Ph.D
CEO, TREE Foundation National Geographic Explorer Adjunct Professor, Purdue University
USA
Heidi Riddle
Chair of the IUCN/SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AESG)
USA
Prof. Jianchu Xu
"Global Lead in Bioeconomy and China Country Director, CIFOR-ICRAF Professor, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences China"
China
Shri Subramanian Ramadorai
Former CEO and MD, Tata Consultancy Services Chairman, Karmayogi Bharat
India
Prof. Joyashree Roy
Distinguished Professor and Director, SMARTs Center (South and South-East Asia Multidisciplinary Applied Research Network for Transforming Societies of Global South), Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
joyashree@ait.asia
Thailand
Dr. Vibha Dhawan
Director General, TERI
vibhad@teri.res.in
India
Usha Lachungpa
Retd. Prin. Chief Research Officer, Dept. of Forest & Env., Govt. of Sikkim
India
Sentila T. Yanger
State Director- Nagaland, INTACH, and Founder Director of Tribal Weave
sentilayanger@gmail.com
India
Namrata Tiwari
Founder, Itsallfolk
namratat24@gmail.com
India
Tripti Shukla
"Artist, Photographer, Wildlife Researcher, Founder of Vanwasi-Aadiwasi Foundation"
triptis249@gmail.com
India
Mitul Baruah
Associate Professor of Sociology/Anthropology and Environmental Studies at Ashoka University, Head of the Department, Environmental Studies.
mitul.baruah@ashoka.edu.in
India
Ambika Aiyadurai
Associate Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Gandhinagar
a.ambika@iitgn.ac.in
India
Barkha Subba
Conservation Scientist I 2026 Whitley Award Winner
barkhasubba@gmail.com
India
Dr. Yash Veer Bhatnagar
Country Representative, IUCN, India
yash.bhatnagar@iucn.org
India
Neha Panchamiya
Founder & President, RESQ
neha@resqct.org
India
Neha Singh
Founder – FORREST
neha@forrest-india.org
India
Dr. Aparajita Datta
Director, Nature Conservation Foundation
aparajita@ncf-india.org
India
Dr. Umesh Srinivasan
Assistant Professor, Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science
umeshs@iisc.ac.in
India
Dr. Nakul Chettri
Regional Director, Eastern Himalaya Programme, ATREE
India
Nilesh Prakash Rajadhyaksha
Country Programme Manager for UN Habitat, India
nilesh.rajadhyaksha@un.org
India
Divya Datt
Senior Programme Manager, UNEP, Nairobi
divya.datt@un.org
Kenya
Netra Walawalkar
Vice President, Net Zero Energy Transition Association (NETRA)
netra@walawalkar.com
India
Nirnita Talukdar
Asia Pacific Lead, United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
India
Rajesh Thadani
Senior Advisor, Tata Trusts
India
Dr. Sunayana Sarkar
Assistant Professor, Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering, NMIMS University
India
Deepak Sharma
Zone President - Greater India, MD & CEO, Schneider Electric India Private Limited
India
Sabyasachi Dutta
Executive Director Asian Confluence
director@asianconfluence.org
India
Dr. Nitin Bassi
Fellow and Lead - Sustainable Water, CEEW
nitin.bassi@ceew.in
India
Indranil Gupta
Founder-Director of BrandNEW Associates
India
Dr. Arup Kumar Sarma
Professor (HAG), Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Guwahati
India
Dr. Pankaj Kalita
Associate Professor, School of Energy Science and Engineering, IIT Guwahati
India
Vishwa Bandhu Bhattacharya
Director, Global Sustainability, Tata Consumer Products
India
Roopa Barua
Founder & Creative Head, Kahini Media
India
Dr. Kalyan Das
Professor, Cotton University
India
Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman
Researcher on Transboundary Rivers and Ecology
India
Neha Lal
Senior Program Manager- Urban Development Sustainable Cities and Transport, WRI India
India
Janice Pariat
Indian poet and writer
India
Dr. G. Areendran
Director Tech for conservation (Remote sensing & GIS) WWF India
India
Dr. Arpit Deomurari
Conservation Technology & AI Specialist, WWF-India
India
Parmita Sarma
COO and Founding Trustee, Akshar Foundation
parmita@aksharfoundation.org
India
Vasant Saberwala
Director, Centre for Pastoralism
vasant@centreforpastoralism.org
India
Dr. Anchal Dass
Principal Scientist, Division of Agronomy, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute
anchal.dass@iari.res.in
India
Gratia Dkhar
NESFAS
gratia.nesfas@gmail.com
India
Rituraj Phukan
Founder, Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum
rrajphukan@gmail.com
India
Nise Meruno
Yamaha Artist, AKG Brand Ambassador
India
Kanika Verma
Group Head - Sustainable Enterprise Group, Development Alternatives
kverma@devalt.org
India
Kamesh Salam
Founder and Executive Director, South Asia Bamboo Foundation
kameshsalam@gmail.com
India
Anuj Sharma
Founder, Alsisar Impact
India
Babita Baruah
CEO, VML India
India
Sashidhar Vempala
Chief Sustainability Officer, Hindustan Unilever Limited
India
Dr. Monish Tourangbam
Fellow, Chintan Research Foundation
monish.tourangbam@crfindia.org
India
Bittu Sahgal
Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation
India
Arun Pandhi
Founder & Managing Director, P-Green Solutions
India
Deep Roy
India
Founding and Managing Partner, Equilex
India
Koustav Choudhury
Executive Director, SNAP Foundation, West Bengal
India
Rohit Anand
Founder, WondrBridge
India
Dr. Ashwini Keskar
Co-Founder and Executive Director - Blue Pulse Foundation
India
Khyne U Mar
Veterinarian and Conservation Biologist
Myanmar
Dr. Sachin P Ranade
Senior Centre Manager & Assistant Director, Bombay Natural History Society
India
Dr. Damber Bista
Deputy Director, Nepal Office - Red Panda Network
Nepal
Aroty Panyang
Founder & Principal Architect, STUDIOARO
India
Narayan Sharma
Assistant Professor, Cotton University
India
Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan
Managing Director, Numaligarh Refinery Limited
India
Dr. Anamika Barua
Professor, IIT Guwahati
India
Himal Tewari
Chief CSR and Sustainability, Tata Power
India
Dr. Eklabya Sharma
Strategic Advisor and Distinguished Fellow, ATREE
India
Boka K Rochill
Chief Climate Action Officer Directorate of Municipal Affairs, Government of Nagaland
India
Dr. Rupesh K Bhomia
Director – Wetlands, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
India
Barasha Das
Journalist
India
Bhogtoram Mawroh
Senior Consultant, Social Research and Policy, NESFAS
India
Rajeev KG
Senior General Manager (Diversification), Tata Coffee Limited
India
Dr. Sonali Ghosh
APCCF and Council Head - Forest, Bodoland Territorial Council, and Manas Tiger Reserve
India
Dr Pratibha Ganesan
Principal Scientist – Climate Resilience, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
India
Partha Jyoti Das
Former Director and Head of the Water, Climate and Hazard Division Aaranyak
India
Mesha Murali
Research Consultant
India
Avantika Haflongbar
Social Entrepreneur
India
Prof. Hemanta Hazarika
Professor, Research Group of Global Geo-Disaster and Environment, School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation, Kyushu University, Japan
Japan
Archana Barthakur
Social Worker, Entrepreneur, Founder and Managing Trustee of Archana Barthakur Educational Trust
India
Uttam Teron
Founder, Parijat Academy
India
Michael Islary
Senior Program Associate, WRI
India
Manoj Gupta
CEO, Tata Power Renewable Microgrid
India
Vaishnavi Prabhakaran
Head Sustainability, Tata Power
India
Dr. Praveer Sinha
CEO & MD, Tata Power
India
Prabhakar Kale
Chief of Hydro, Tata Power
India
Dwarka Srinath
Chief Digital Information Officer, Tata Power
India
Dr. Oinam Sunanda Devi
Scientific Officer, Assam State Biodiversity Board, Government of Assam
India
Ankit Todi
Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group
India
Upamanyu Borkakoty
Founder, Woolah Tea
India
Leena Nandan
Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Govt. of India
India
Dr. Ritesh Kumar
Director, Wetlands International South Asia
India
Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury
Ornithologist
India
Bibhuti Lahkar
Deputy Executive Director, Aaranyak
India
Pankaj Sharma
DFO (retd.), Assam Forest Department
India
Rathin Barman
Joint Director, Wildlife Trust of India
India
Anvitaa Rastogi
Vice President - Strategy & Growth, Alsisar Impact
India
Karuna Singh
Regional Director - Asia, Earth Day Network
India
Rasika Kisan Kaware
Senior Program Manager - Assam, SELCO Foundation
India
Manoj Kumar Rustogi
Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer, JSW Cement
India
Mrinal Talukdar
Journalist
India
Pranab Patar
Climate Specialist, PMU - Clean Development and Climate Finance, Govt. of Assam
India
Shrashtant Patara
CEO, Development Alternatives
India
Madhabananda Ray
Executive Director, Centre for Microfinance and Livelihoods
India
Prof. Dipjyoti Rajkhowa
Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Assam Agricultural University
His Eminence Palga Rinpoche
Motivational Speaker and Spiritual Guru, Ladakh
Dr. Paul Funston
Chief Conservation Officer, Vantara
Dr. Kushal Konwar Sarma
Chief Veterinary Advisor, Vantara
Dr. Tenzing Lopsang Lachenpa
Veterinary Consultant, Vantara
Dr. Ram Boojh
Environmental Expert & Sustainability Advisor
Dr. Puranjoy Mipun
Assistant Professor, Bhattadev University
India
Sushant Dash
CEO, Starbucks India
India
Dr. Vinod Kothari
Executive Director, Himmothan Society
Nagato Aye
State Head (Nagaland), NEIDA
India
Kautillya Basumatary
GM (Northeast), Tata Trusts
India
REACH US
Guwahati, Assam.
Timing will be 10-5:30 pm.
