![Col CP Muthanna (Retd): Founder - The Environment and Health Foundation [India], (EHF)](assets/images/img-gb01-628x628.jpg "Col CP Muthanna (Retd): Founder - The Environment and Health Foundation [India], (EHF)")
Col CP Muthanna (Retd)
Founder - The Environment and Health Foundation [India], (EHF)
An infantry officer, he served in the army for 24 years and in 1996 took voluntary retirement to follow his environmental interests. Having commanded an Infantry Battalion for four years, his field tenures included postings in the Himalayan landscape of Kashmir, and in the Tibetan Plateau of North Sikkim. He has also served in Assam, Punjab and with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka.
Col Muthanna founded the Environment and Health Foundation [India], (EHF),
in 1998. Here, he prepared the HIMEK Alliance proposal for mitigation of climate change in the Himalayas and the contiguous Mekong Basin. The proposal envisages a regional cooperation of eleven countries. The IUCN [ARO] and the Asian Institute of Technology have signed an MOU on the HIMEK proposal.
He was President of the Coorg Wildlife Society from 2003 to 2009, and from 2012 till November 2018. He has been actively involved in various issues pertaining to conservation and protection of habitat in Coorg, as well as mitigation of human-elephant conflict.
In 2005, the Coorg Wildlife Society was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Parisara Prashusti by the Karnataka State Government. In 2006, Col Muthanna was awarded the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam award for work in the field of Environment by the Government of Karnataka.
Muthanna is the Vice Chair of the Kodagu Model Forest Trust. He has prepared projects for the betterment of indigenous communities of Kodagu. This has enabled Kodagu to be included in the Global Fund Program for Community Foundations.
Brig Devaiah (Retd)
MD - Anahat Foundation
An Indian Army veteran from the special forces, who possesses extensive combat, non-combat and instructional experience gained over a span of 35 years. Post retirement he has been working with the private sector, where he brings to the table his experience in interacting with the govt., to enable better working relationships between the govt and the private sector.
Brig Devaiah has worked with Biocon, Bengaluru where he implemented their social development programs in Raichur. His experience as a liaison resource also covers the fields of waste management, NGOs, construction, and relief & rehabilitation efforts in the flood and landslide affected Coorg district of Karnataka.
Currently he is the MD of an NGO involved in the screening of non-communicable diseases of the urban poor, and is a consultant with Randhawa Brosons Enterprises, a water restoration company.
Education:
Meera Rajesh
Founder - Forest First Samithi
Meera brings to EHF her valuable experience in conserving indigenous tree species of the Western Ghats, experience gained through the NGO she runs, Forest First Samithi.
She works closely with local communities on restoring degraded sacred groves, and helps to provide biological diversity in coffee estates.
Her efforts also include the enhancing of riparian buffer through tactical interventions. Over the last 10 years Forest First has helped to conserve over 150 tree species of the Western Ghats in Kodagu, Wayanad and Attappady.
Meera was an IT consultant for 16 years in a global role, she also possesses over 3 years of consulting experience in Smarter Dharma, an environmental sustainability solutions company.
She received early exposure to the sustainable technologies of Auroville, Puducherry and was associated with Sanctuary Asia’s 'Kids for Tigers' rogramme. Meera is an Electrical Engineer by profession and has a degree in Law.
Dr. Kavery Poonacha Nambisan
Chief Medical Officer & Surgeon - Tata Coffee Ltd
Dr. Kavery Poonacha Nambisan is a surgeon and novelist who was born in Kodagu district of Karnataka.
Kavery graduated from St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru with distinction, and was sponsored by the College for higher surgical training in the UK.
She obtained a Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons from London.
After higher surgical training in the UK she spent most of her surgical career in the rural areas of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka.
Her most recent surgical job has been with Tata Coffee Ltd where she was the Chief Medical Officer and surgeon. Kavery has served on the governing council of the Association of Rural Surgeons of India.
Dr Nambisan is also a novelist, with several children’s books, essays and seven adult novels to her credit. She draws inspiration from life experiences and feels that her medical career too has coloured her writing. Two of her novels were shortlisted for major literary awards.
Kavery was nominated as an International Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa in 2007; and as a writer-in-residence at Shanghai along with her writer-husband Vijay Nambisan. Her latest, non-fiction book is titled, 'A Luxury Called Health'. She currently lives and works in Kodagu.
Dr. Sujatha Muthanna Nuchimanyanda Phd.
Head - Learning, Innovation & Consulting - Infosys Limited
Sujatha is an innovation strategist from the d.school of Stanford University.
She heads learning, innovation and consulting for strategic accounts of Infosys Limited, and coaches marquee clients to help drive their digital transformation across geographies.
A behavioral analyst, Sujatha is an accredited Executive Coach from the International Coach Federation and has spoken at national and international conferences: NASSCOM, CII, Indian Psychological Science Congress, ASTD, ISTD, L&D Global, L&OD, World HRD, International Association of Facilitators, ASCI and IIT-M.
A core member of the Sustainability committee that launched the first Infosys Sustainability Report, she has participated in various CSR projects. Sujatha has taken up several engagements to build awareness about the global climate threat impacting the verdant hills and valleys of Coorg. She is currently pursuing her PGDip in Environmental Law from the National Law School, Bengaluru (Distance Education).
Being strongly connected with her roots in Coorg, she and her husband have experimented with mono-cropping, inter-cropping, floriculture, fisheries, dairy and poultry management while adopting natural and organic methods.
Sujatha launched Cauvery Action Network (CAN) under the guidance of Col. C. P. Muthanna (Retd). CAN is a unifying force to rejuvenate the dying River Cauvery from the Catchment region in Karnataka all the way to the Delta in Tamil Nadu. CAN works towards protecting the ecological integrity of River Cauvery by ensuring action on the ground that will drive Policy Advocacy that safeguards Nature.
Gopakumar Menon
Founder - Nityata River Otter Conservancy
Gopakumar has a PGDM from IIM Bangalore (1989-91), and about 11 years of corporate experience in a private equity firm.
He has worked as a leadership development facilitator to date, with particular focus on negotiation and influencing: his signature workshop 'Winfluence' is now in its 17th year.
He founded Nityata River Otter Conservancy with the objective of conserving otters and otter habitat outside protected areas. This is achieved in partnership with local stakeholders - principally, traditional fishers - who are nudged to change their attitude, and therefore, their approach towards otters.
In addition, Nityata has been campaigning against the usage of dynamite and poisons in harvesting fish. They are also making a long term case for otter reserves and forest buffers along streams that could protect the species and fish populations that are now depleting fast. Much of this work is in the Kodagu headwaters of the Cauvery, the region east of Mysuru and in southern Maharashtra.
Gopakumar is on the advisory board of Craftizen, a social enterprise, and is a published writer of short stories. He has an abiding interest in economics, particularly in the application of new economic thought to conservation, and teaches the subject to students of Class 11 and 12 at The Valley School, Bengaluru.
Suresh Heblikar
Film Maker & Senior Environmentalist
A much awarded film maker and senior environmentalist, Suresh Heblikar is a household name in Karnataka and a winner of the Rajyotsava Award.
He has produced documentary films on nearly every conceivable topic in the area of conservation. He has lectured in international institutions, universities and been a panelist on major conferences and seminars around the world.
Suresh set up an environmental organisation called Eco Watch in 1998, it is very active in the area of afforestation, biodiversity conservation, water conservation, environmental education, energy alternatives and the like.
He is focused on promoting the concept of small towns as eco-friendly entities and destinations. Suresh writes regularly on environmental and socio-economic issues in various newspapers and magazines, in both English and Kannada.
Positions past & present:
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