Dushasana Mahanta spearheads the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (PMEL) team within the Food, Land, and Water program at WRI India.

He joins WRI India with extensive experience as a development professional, specializing in managing, monitoring, and evaluating programs dedicated to ecological restoration and the conservation of land and water resources. His expertise extends across landscape conservation, agriculture, and livelihood initiatives, making him an expert in the field of monitoring and evaluation within the realm of sustainable development.

He commenced his career with the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) as a member of the Koraput Spearhead team in Odisha. Over the course of more than a decade, he dedicated himself to strengthening and reviving the process of ecological succession, coupled with active contributions to conservation efforts directed towards land, forests, and water resources.

Prior to his tenure at WRI, he played a crucial role with Rainforest Alliance, leading Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) endeavors focused on biodiversity conservation and land degradation neutrality initiatives in the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats landscapes of India.

He holds a master’s degree in economics from Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, a Post Graduate Diploma in Development Management from Tata-Dhan Academy, Madurai, and a Ph.D. in Tribal Studies from Berhampur University, Berhampur.

In his spare time, he finds joy in teaching, gardening, fishing, and swimming.