Forests, Gender, and Surveillance: Navigating Ethics, Risks, and Government Backlash Post-Publication

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• Trishant Simlai (Conservation Researcher)
• Thursday 22 May 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Department of Geography, Small Lecture Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Tom Fry.

A 2025 paper published in Environment and Planning F, derived from a University of Cambridge Geography PhD (2017–2021) and 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Corbett Tiger Reserve, examined how wildlife monitoring technologies transform forest spaces into masculinized domains, extending society’s patriarchal gaze into the wilderness. A University of Cambridge press release titled “Wildlife Monitoring Technologies Used to Intimidate and Spy on Women” garnered global attention, with coverage by over 500 news outlets worldwide. This viral response triggered swift action from India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests, resulting in a government investigation, coupled with severe intimidation of the researcher through threats, surveillance, and legal tactics aimed at discrediting them. Despite these challenges, local communities rallied in support to defend the researcher. Against a backdrop of public outrage over tiger-related human deaths and Uttarakhand’s women’s empowerment campaigns, the paper’s impact underscores the dual nature of academic “impact.” This seminar explores the risks and responsibilities of political ecology research in India, probing how researchers can prepare for and navigate the consequences of speaking truth to power.

This talk is part of the Political Ecology Group meetings series.

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• AUB_Cambridge Seminars
• Department of Geography
• Department of Geography, Small Lecture Theatre

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