JAGDEESH RAO PUPPALA

Jagdeesh Rao is leading the Common Ground initiative, as CEO of Living Landscapes and promoting systems leadership for environmental governance and resilient rural livelihoods. Prior to this he was Chief Executive of the Foundation for Ecological Security for nearly two decades, championing the centrality of ecological and social value creation in determining the economic well-being of rural communities. A practitioner, his entire professional life has been centered around furthering judicious management of natural resources, with community institutions playing a central role. Recognized as an international leader in advancing conservation and restoration of the commons for rural livelihoods, he is particularly interested in the application of ‘systems thinking’ at the interface of ecology, society and economy to address the interrelated issues of poverty and environmental degradation.

Jagdeesh is the recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2015). He is a Rainer Arnold Conservation Fellow (2017) and Senior Ashoka fellow (2022).