Ajit Dr Pattnaik World Lake Conference 2025

Ajit Dr Pattnaik

Brief Profile Dr. A.K. Pattnaik, Ph.D. Dr. A.K. Pattnaik brings an illustrious career spanning over four decades dedicated to managing natural resources and conserving biodiversity. Specialising in the restoration and sustainable management of wetland ecosystems, Dr. Pattnaik's expertise extends to Integrated Lake Basin Management, and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, as well as climate change adaptation and disaster resilience strategies. Dr. Pattnaik’s exemplary leadership was instrumental in the globally acclaimed restoration of Chilika Lake, a coastal wetland of international significance and a biodiversity hotspot. His pioneering approach to integrated lake basin management played a crucial role in the removal of Chilika Lake from the Montreux Record, a testament to the project’s success in ecological restoration. From 2010 to 2017, he served as the Project Director for the World Bank-supported Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project along the Odisha Coast. Additionally, he spearheaded the formulation and implementation of the first third-generation project, funded by JICA, with a budget of 10 billion INR for the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project. As a consultant, Dr. Pattnaik has made significant contributions to India's Blue Economy Policy, offering strategic insights for institutional strengthening and governance rooted in global best practices. His role as an expert on various international projects under the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank underscores his comprehensive skills in integrated natural resource management. Dr. Pattnaik is a highly esteemed member of several distinguished scientific committees, including the Scientific Committee of the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC) in Japan and the International Steering Committee of the Ramsar Centre, also based in Japan. He currently serves as Senior Scientific Advisor at the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, which is part of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India, and advises numerous global organisations. Dr. Pattnaik's scholarly output includes over 100 scientific publications, book chapters, and presentations at international workshops, underscoring his extensive engagement with the global scientific community. His contributions have significantly advanced environmental conservation, earning him considerable recognition and respect within the field.