Moushumi Basu

An environment and wildlife journalist with over a decade of experience, Moushumi Basu brings out underreported stories on climate change, clean energy, wildlife conservation, and a range of other environmental issues across India. Her field-based research and reporting often take her to remote forests and villages, where she works closely with indigenous communities. Their voices from the ground — be it on their responses to climate impacts or their roles in forest and wildlife protection — form an important part of her storytelling.

Drawn from lived experiences, she believes these stories need to be heard more widely, as they offer valuable insights into coexisting with nature and its changing conditions. She considers indigenous communities among her greatest teachers on the environment, given their vast ecological knowledge acquired through generations.

Be it ensuring food security during crop failures caused by unpredictable monsoons, crafting local means of communication across floodwaters, or building homes with variable heights using locally available resources, these ways of living reflect a deep understanding of how to survive adversity using nature’s resources. Her stories also give voice to lesser-known and often critically endangered wildlife species as the pygmy hog and Bengal Florican, among others. Their conservation highlights the traditional wisdom of local communities together with the scientific knowledge of field biologists and conservation experts.

As a National Geographic Explorer, she has also collaborated with local communities and experts from diverse fields, maintaining transparency and ethical field practices in her work. From time to time, she also has opportunities to be mentored by and work with world-class storytellers, educators, and environmental experts. Her stories have appeared in several national and international media outlets, including The Revelator, National Geographic Animals, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Dialogue Earth, and more.