Education

MA Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
Postgraduate Diploma in Child Rights Law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
BA English Language and Literature, St.Berchmans College, Kottayam
BA Criminology and Criminal Justice Administration, Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai

Profile

Abel Job Abraham is Research Coordinator at BhuSampada, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. His work explores the socio-ecological dynamics of Indian Ocean islands and coastal regions, drawing on over seven years of experience in participatory research, policy engagement, and community-led interventions. Abel adopts a rights-based and interdisciplinary approach that bridges law, anthropology, ecology, and governance.

He has led fieldwork and collaborative projects with the Dakshin Foundation in the Lakshadweep Islands, focusing on fisheries management, governance of commons, and community-based resource monitoring and mapping. Abel actively collaborates with diverse stakeholders and has submitted comments to the government on multiple regulations, policies, and rules concerning fisheries and land governance. His research supports community advocacy, knowledge co-production, and inclusive environmental governance.

Research

Human–environment relations, Environmental governance and legal pluralism,  Fisheries and commons management

Publications

Abraham, A. J., Deepak, D., Khot, I., et al. (2025). Traditional systems and contemporary transitions on an oceanic island: Insights for participatory fisheries management from Minicoy Island, India. Maritime Studies 24, 18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-024-00397-7

Namboothri, N., Khot, I., & Abraham, A. J. (2022). Small islands, big lessons: Critical insights into sustainable fisheries from India’s coral atolls. In A. Varghese, M. A. Oommen, M. M. Paul, & S. Nath (Eds.), Conservation through sustainable use: Lessons from India (1st ed., pp. 27–40). Routledge India. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003343493

Khot, I., Khan, M., Gawde, P., Abraham, A. J., Raj, A., Sen, R., & Namboothri, N. (2023). Fish for the future: Creating participatory and sustainable fisheries governance pathways in the Lakshadweep Islands — A 10-year report. Dakshin Foundation.

Abraham, A. J., & Deepak, D. (2023). Samundar ka guru: An account of Kalumangothi’s life and wisdom on the ocean. Current Conservation, 17(2).

Abraham, A. J. (2023). Vibhava Samrakshanathinte Minicoy Mathruka (Malayalam: The Minicoy Model of Resource Conservation). Keraleeyam.

Abraham, A. J., & Sridhar, A. (2021). Plural islands of Lakshadweep: Insider-outsider narratives of Minicoy. Le thinnai Revi.