Special features of the organization
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is a research institution in the areas of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. We focus on applied science through research, education and action that influence policy and practice on conservation of nature, management of natural resources, and sustainable development. , , ATREEs mission is to generate rigorous interdisciplinary knowledge for achieving environmental conservation and sustainable development in a socially just manner, to enable the use of this knowledge by policy makers and society, and to train the next generation of scholars and leaders. , , Registered as a trust, ATREE has been certified as a scientific and Industrial Research Organisation by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. , , With six programmes organised under two centres Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation and the Centre for Environment and Development ATREE conducts research projects that address issues that lie at the intersection of natural and social sciences. The themes that ATREE works on, which also informs how the organization stratifies its programmes, include Forests and Governance, Water, Land, and Society, and Climate Change Mitigation and Development under the Centre for Environment and Development, and Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Planning, Landscapes, Conservation and Livelihoods, and Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing under the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation. , , What imparts a unique identity to ATREE is its seamless merging of an academic institution that conducts applied research while also training future generations of interdisciplinary academics a think-tank that informs public policy based on rigorous studies, and a community outreach organisation that aims to enhance the lives and livelihoods of local communities through the scientific insights it generates. ATREEs programmes engage stakeholder throughout the process of research to ensure its salience and often disseminate their findings via one-on-one meetings with elected representatives and bureaucrats. , , The doctoral programme at ATREEs Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies is recognized by the Manipal University (MU) and is designed to equip students with in- depth knowledge and necessary skills to understand and address complex conservation and environmental issues through an interdisciplinary framework. , , ATREE envisions a society committed to environmental conservation and sustainable and socially just development, in which ATREE plays the role of a model knowledge-generating organization for catalyzing the transition to such a society. , , Some of ATREE s major recognitions are listed below: , 1) ATREE has ranked among the Worlds top 20 think-tanks for the past 6 years, as per the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report compiled by the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. , 2) In 2016 ATREE was bestowed with the Distinguished Service Award by the Society of Conservation Biology for Asia Section, for its significant contribution and long-term commitment to biodiversity conservation.
