Sango Mahanty, BA (ANU), BLitt (ANU), Grad Dip (UC), MEMD, PhD (ANU)
Research and Teaching Fellow, Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program

Email: sango.mahanty [at] anu.edu.au

Biographical Statement

For the last 15 years Sango has worked on the social dimensions of participatory resource management and development in the Asia-Pacific region. Working as an advisor to the Environment and Conservation Division in Solomon Islands in 1993-1995 stimulated Sango's interest in collaborative approaches to resource governance. This became the focus of her Masters and PhD research, which aimed to understand the potential and limitations of integrated conservation and development projects in Asia and the Pacific. Sango has since undertaken teaching and academic research as well as assignments for NGOs, regional organisations and UN agencies on: social assessment for community-based conservation and development initiatives; analysing equity and livelihood outcomes in community based resource management programs; participatory monitoring and evaluation systems; social learning; and knowledge management. Her country experience covers Australia, India, the Mekong region and Solomon Islands.

Research Interests

Equity and livelihood outcomes of resource governance systems in the Asia-Pacific with a focus on community-based resource management; socioeconomic assessment for resource management and development programs; and social learning and the use of approaches such as participatory monitoring and evaluation and knowledge management systems to strengthen resource governance and community development.

Key Publications

• (with N. Stacey, P. Holland, A. Wright and S. Menzies) Learning to Learn: designing monitoring plans in the Pacific Islands International Waters Programme Oceans and Coastal Management 50: 392-410, 2007.
• (with K. Burslem and E. Lee eds) A Fair Share? Experiences in benefit sharing from community managed resources in Asia Bangkok: RECOFTC, WWF and SNV, 2007.
• (with J. Gronow, M. Nurse and Y. Malla) Reducing Poverty through Community Based Forest Management in Asia Journal of Forests and Livelihoods 5(1): 78-89, 2006.
• (with J. Fox, M. Nurse, P. Stephen and L. McLees eds) Hanging in the Balance: equity in community-based natural resource management in Asia Bangkok: RECOFTC and EWC, 2006
• (with D. Russell) High Stakes: working with stakeholders in the Biodiversity Conservation Network, Society and Natural Resources 15: 179-188, 2002.
• Conservation and Development Interventions as Networks: the case of the India Ecodevelopment Project, Karnataka World Development 30: 1369-1386, 2002

Career Highlights

Advisor to the Ministry of Forests, Environment and Conservation, Solomon Islands on the social and institutional dimensions of community-based conservation; Convener of the Bachelor of Park Management and a research partnerships program with Parks Victoria from 2001-2003 at Deakin University; coordinated research and regional dialogues on recent experiences and emerging issues in forests, poverty and governance at the Regional Community Training Centre for Asia and the Pacific from 2005-2007.