Mathew promotes Keystone's approach in coalescing traditional forest livelihoods, conservation and social enterprise. He is the voice for our expertise on organic agriculture, fair trade and slow food.
mathew(at)keystone-foundation.org
Pratim Roy
Rural Development Expert & Ecologist
Founder-Director
Pratim provides strategic direction to Keystone's work, funding and vision, building staff capacities and action for institutional sustainability, and to widen the scope of our impact.
pratim(at)keystone-foundation.org
Snehlata Nath
Tribal Livelihoods Expert
Founder-Director
Sneh provides strategic inputs to Keystone's work, along with plans for expanding impact. She focuses on civil society networks across India and advises teams in the Eastern India Initiative and Aadhimalai, the indigenous producers' group.
sneh(at)keystone-foundation.org
Directors
Anita Varghese
Ecologist
Director
Anita developes long-term goals, research and action steps on field for the implementation of projects under the Biodiversity and Climate Change programmes. She also aids in human resources decisions.
anita(at)keystone-foundation.org
Jyotsna Krishnakumar
Natural Resource and Environmental Management-Human Dimensions
Director
Jyotsna develops long term action and research plans within the Community wellbeing and Water & Sanitation programmes, applied through the lenses of livelihood outcomes, improved community-based governance, health and wellness, and climate change.
jyotsna(at)keystone-foundation.org
Biodiversity Conservation
Aradkuttan
Restoration Ecologist
Subject Coordinator
Aradkuttan facilitates eco-restoration activities at all sites, raising native flora, monitoring pollinators and checking invasives. He is part of our community awareness efforts on restoration.
Chandrasekar works to monitor and manage human-wildlife interactions in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, and organises community awareness efforts. He also identifies and monitors ecological restoration sites.
Harshavardhini Angappan
Restoration Ecologist
Technical Coordinator
Harsha manages our nursery of endangered and native plants and seed bank. She also conducts vegetation studies in Nilgiri habitats, and assists in population assessments.
Justin studies the impact of climate change on bees and other pollinators, works to improve and manage our apiaries and provides overall support to Keystone's biodiversity projects.
Mahadesha strategises community conservation, sustainable forest practices and agriculture in the Sathyamangalam landscape and surrounds. He also works with local government bodies to deepen Keystone's impact.
Nithya V.
Pollinators Expert
Field Assistant
Nithya conducts surveys on pollinators and flora, and monitors populations of the former. She also works to promote beekeeping and aids activities related to apiaries across Keystone's working regions.
Rajendran R.
Pollinators Expert
Field Coordinator
Rajendran studies pollinators, their diversity and apiculture in Sigur and Pillur, monitoring bee populations, aiding activities related to apiaries and supporting work towards conservation.
Shivanna B.
Native Flora Expert
Field Assistant
Sivanna raises, propagates and collects native seeds and plants in several nurseries in the Sathyamangalam and Punanjanur landscape. His work also involves outreach and restoration activities.
Sivaraj
Native Flora Expert
Field Coordinator
Sivaraj implements activities in Kotagiri and Aracode, contributes to training communities on organic bio-inputs. He also aids in the management of local nurseries raising native flora.
Shiny strategises ecological restoration projects, overseeing native flora nurseries and projects related to pollinators. She builds networks with global forums on biodiversity, and within local government bodies.
Vandana Kannan
Wildlife Biologist
Technical Coordinator
Vandana observes human-wildlife interactions in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, conducts habitat studies and plans community conservation initiatives like outreach and ecology trainings.
Vishnu N.M.
Restoration Ecologist
Technical Coordinator
Vishnu is a field botanist who works on the ecological restoration of several landscapes in the NBR. He is a certified IUCN Red List assessor, and aids in the management of several native flora nurseries.
Community Wellbeing
Ayoob A.
Governance & Livelihoods
Field Coordinator
Ayoob supports climate change and health initiatives in Wayanad and Nilambur. He works to leverage funds from government schemes for local interventions and facilitates tenurial right processes for Indigenous communities.
Bagavanidhi mobilises forest communities and government bodies in the Nilgiris towards improved governance systems and advocacy efforts, particularly in claiming rights under India's Forest Rights Act. He also facilitates linkages between governance, health and livelihoods efforts.
Bijishna T.K.
Land & Healthcare
Project Implementation Coordinator
Bijishna works to ensure our projects based in Wayanad run smoothly. She monitors the impact of agriculture-related work, healthcare interventions, restoration efforts and water management.
R. Chandran
Traditional Livelihoods
Field Coordinator
R. Chandran focuses on improving governance systems, healthcare and sustainable traditional livelihoods in Pillur. He is keen to promote the just implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
Faseela V.
Governance
Additional Programme Coordinator
Faseela assists Keystone's work in Nilambur, primarily to improve local governance, sustainable forest livelihoods and community wellbeing. She engages with community health workers and aids water management efforts.
Lalitha works to implement community well-being efforts in Sigur, coordinating activities related to the Forest Rights Act, and supporting work related to healthcare and conservation of traditional seeds.
Muhammed Rafi
Governance
Field Coordinator
Rafi assists interventions in Wayanad, promoting native agriculture, governance and mentoring community health workers. He is also involved in water management efforts.
C.M. Rajesh
Governance & Livelihoods
Field Assistant
Rajesh supports the implementation of interventions in the Sigur region. In addition to this, he coordinates activities on the Forest Rights Act in the region.
Ramachandran K.G.
Governance & Livelihoods
Programme Coordinator
Ramu provides strategy and inputs in Wayanad and Nilambur on strengthening traditional livelihoods, local governance systems, healthcare and the preservation of traditional knowledge.
Saneesh P.B.
Land & Water
Field Coordinator
Saneesh assists implementation of agriculture, healthcare and water management efforts in Wayanad. He is also involved in activities related to water and land conservation.
Sriram Paramasivan
Livelihoods & Enterprise
Technical Coordinator
Sriram supports planning and delivering of interventions under the livelihoods focus area. He aids in the facilitation and strengthening of traditional and organic agricultural practices and enterprise development.
Sunil Kumar
Pollinators & Healthcare
Field Coordinator
Sunil assists our community wellbeing work in Nilambur, working with volunteers and field staff to facilitate work in agriculture, healthcare, apiary, conservation, livelihoods and governance.
Gokul Govind
Strategic Support
Project Coordinator
Gokul coordinates all focus areas of the Community Wellbeing programme and its delivery within Tamil Nadu, and aids in monitoring of outcomes. Additionally, he provides strategic inputs and supports in grant management.
Anagha C.
Mental Health
Technical Coordinator
Anagha supports healthcare interventions in all our working areas, promoting dialogues on mental health and improving services. She aids the training of community health workers and monitors impact.
Organisational Development
Amsaveni C.
Accountant
Subject Coordinator
Amsaveni ensures backend work runs smoothly, delivering payments and reimbursements on time, settling bills, preparing project expense reports and coordinating employee welfare funds.
Sarasasmeeta
Admin
Senior Programme Coordinator
Sara provides direction to Keystone's administrative team, coordinates with local and national government bodies to facilitate our projects, and aids the activities of several partners, including The Nilgiris Foundation.
H.R. Eswaran
Finance
Senior Programme Coordinator
Eswar provides direction to Keystone's finance and accounts processes, maintaining project reports, ensuring statutory requirements like FCRA are in place and building capacity for staff and finance infrastructure.
Hari
Security
Security
Hari works to maintain Keystone's beautiful campus in Kotagiri, ensuring water supply, waste management, office vehicles, campus bills and other logistics are in place.
Sabitha
Admin
Subject Coordinator
Subject Coordinator
Sabitha helps keep Keystone's Kotagiri campus functional, overseeing maintanence of the canteen, guesthouse and office buildings, from electric to carpentry and water supply.
kf(at)keystone-foundation.org
Wilfred William
Information Technology
Subject Coordinator
Wilfred manages Keystone's IT infrastructure, keeping our campus virtually connected and secure. He develops IT policy, ensures our data is stored appropriately, and conducts system audits and trainings for staff capacity building.
Networks & Alliances
Rohan Mukerjee
Agriculture & Advocacy
Programme Coordinator
Rohan works in Central and Eastern India. His work largely involves conservation of traditional agriculture, advocacy and collaborations with tribal groups and supporting documentation of impact.
Sumin George
Funding & Strategy
Senior Programme Coordinator
Sumin provides inputs to strategy and development of our networks and relations with partners and donors. He focuses on building proposals and reports to further our collaborations and funding opportunities.
People & Nature Collectives
Faisal Rehman
Archiving and Research
Programme Coordinator
Faisal coordinates projects building community archives, mentors local and indigenous researchers, creates archiving tools and supports community-led foundations and media platforms.
faisal(at)keystone-foundation.org
Jeyanthi R.
Community Media
Additional Programme Coordinator
Jeyanthi coordinates the publication of the Seemai Sudhi newsletter, supports Radio Kotagiri, and aids in the mentoring of local and indigenous researchers and activities of the community archives projects.
jeyanthi(at)keystone-foundation.org
Manickam A.
Community Media
Additional Programme Coordinator
Manickam focuses on operations of the Radio Kotagiri programme and associated infrastructure, coordinates content generation with community members and records feedback on the programme.
manickam(at)keystone-foundation.org
Ranjani Prasad
Archiving and Research
Programme Coordinator
Ranjani maintains institutional archives, creates digital tools archives, and supports community-led foundations and media platforms with mentorship. She also develops tribal leadership trainings.
ranjani(at)keystone-foundation.org
P. Chandran
Grassroots Governance
Programme Coordinator
P. Chandran helps conceptualise activities across Keystone's working areas to strengthen governance systems, focusing on community forest rights and habitat rights.
Climate Change
Bhavya George
Climate Solutions
Programme Coordinator
Bhavya strategises the vision for the climate change programme, working with climate historians, educators and journalists in the Nilgiris and Central/Eastern India to build action research on climate impacts.
bhavya(at)keystone-foundation.org
Gunashekar M.
Climate Transitions
Technical Coordinator
Gunashekar conducts surveys for socio-ecological data collection from villages within Aracode. He is also instrumental in carbon sample collections, planning trainings for project participants and other climate resilience interventions.
Reshma
Climate Solutions
Technical Coordinator
Reshma focuses on gender just climate solutions, such as analog forestry.
Vidya S.
Climate Educator
Technical Coordinator
Vidya focuses on implementing our Climate Smart Schools project, coordinating with educators and creating teaching materials to facilitate activities in 14 schools across the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve.
vidya(at)keystone-foundation.org
Akhil Sivadas
Climate Transitions
Project Coordinator
Akhil conducts surveys for socio-ecological data collection from villages within Aracode. He is also instrumental in carbon sample collections, planning trainings for project participants and other climate resilience interventions.
akhil@keystone-foundation.org
Sharmila Sathish
Field Assistant
Akhil conducts surveys for socio-ecological data collection from villages within Aracode. He is also instrumental in carbon sample collections, planning trainings for project participants and other climate resilience interventions.
akhil@keystone-foundation.org
Water & Sanitation
Arunkumar
Community-led Water Use
Field Assistant
Arun coordinates water and sanitation activities in the semi-urban regions of Aracode, Konnavakarai and Kotagiri, working closely with community-led foundations and local government bodies.
Kannan
Community-led Water Use
Field Coordinator
Kannan coordinates water and sanitation activities in the semi-urban regions of Aracode, Konnavakarai and Kotagiri, working closely with community-led foundations and local government bodies.
Vinitha Murukesan
Impact Strategy
Programme Coordinator
Vinitha handles the water and sanitation programme across all working areas in Coimbatore and the Nilgiris, coordinating research, implementation, reports, documentation, labwork and stakeholders.
