Dr. Kamaljit K. Sangha is an Ecological Economist at the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research. Over the past 15 years, she has been extensively working with the Indigenous communities across northern Australia, especially on linking ecosystem services from the rainforest and savanna ecosystems with the well-being of remote communities. This work has led her to develop Indigenous-specific ecosystem services framework applying Capability Approach, and to develop innovative methods to evaluate Indigenous peoples’ connections with land for informing policy decision making.

KAmaljit gained her expertise in the trans-disciplinary field of Ecological Economics over the last 20 years since her Master of Science (MSc) from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. In 1999, she moved to Australia and completed her PhD from Central Queensland University, Rockhampton on “Evaluation of the effects of tree clearing over time on soil capability, pasture composition and productivity” and integrated ecological and economic attributes to understand the long-term impacts of clearing to develop sustainable pasture systems. After finishing her PhD in 2003, she worked as a Natural Resource Economist and subsequently as a Lecturer, teaching subjects on Ecological Economics, Agro-ecology, Indigenous Ecology and Culture at James Cook University (from 2004-2010), Queensland.

She is author of a book ‘Ways to live in harmony with nature’ published by JoJo Publishing, VIC, in which she outlines how we can realise the importance of nature’ services in our daily living and better manage our natural resources. She is co-editor of a book on ‘Sustainable Land Sector Development in Northern Australia: Indigenous rights, aspirations and cultural responsibilities.’