Ayushi Jain, one of Conservation Nation’s 2025 Conservationist Grant recipients, is a PhD candidate at the University of Miami’s Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy and a recipient of the Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship from the Inlaks Foundation. She holds a master’s in ecology and environmental sciences from Pondicherry University in India.
Ayushi’s research focuses on endangered species conservation, freshwater biodiversity, and community-based approaches. Her interdisciplinary work integrates ecological fieldwork, remote sensing, political ecology, and local knowledge to examine how infrastructure development impacts critically endangered species.
Conservation of India’s Only Known Breeding Population of the Critically Endangered, Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
Through her Conservation Nation project, Ayushi will conduct ecological surveys to better understand nesting bank requirements and identify how dam-induced water level fluctuations affect turtle reproductive success. Using camera traps and participatory research, she will collect data on nest and bank characteristics, river flow, and the overlap between dam operations and nesting seasons. Community-led efforts will continue to protect and relocate identified nests, increasing hatching survival.