Sheherazade is a doctoral researcher in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. She received the first Count of Krigsvold Fellowship in 2025.
The research
Her work examines decentralized models of forest governance in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, focusing on Conservation Partnerships and Customary Forest initiatives. It asks how Indigenous and local communities can exercise genuine leadership in conservation—and how policy and scientific practice can recognize the knowledge on which that stewardship depends.
Conservation succeeds or fails through institutions as well as ecosystems. Rules about who may use land, whose evidence counts, and who shares the benefits shape environmental outcomes. By studying these arrangements in practice, the project connects biocultural stewardship to more equitable and effective forest protection.
Why the Fellowship supported it
The research treats local knowledge as part of rigorous conservation practice, not as an ornamental consultation after decisions have been made. It addresses climate, biodiversity, governance, and justice as connected problems.