Seema Bhatt is an independent consultant working on issues related to biodiversity, climate change, and ecotourism. She has worked as a Senior Programme Officer with WWF India on its McArthur Foundation supported Biodiversity ‘Hotspots’ Conservation Programme. Ms Bhatt was also the South Asia Coordinator for the USAID supported Biodiversity Conservation Network and part of the Technical and Policy Core Group that produced the final technical report for India’s National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. Her particular focus of work is on strengthening the links between conservation of biodiversity and livelihoods of local communities. She has worked extensively on ecotourism issues in South Asia and has co-authored a book on Ecotourism Development in India. Her involvement in climate change issues began when in 2007, she coordinated a gap analysis of looking at adaptation to climate change across the Asia region for DfID and IDRC on behalf of the Institute for Social and Environment Transition. She has also been involved in a similar exercise for USAID. Ms Bhatt is also a Fulbright Scholar and the Honorary Vice President of the Ecotourism Society of India.