Priyanka Pulla

Indian journalist exposing environmental crimes through data-driven investigative reporting

Priyanka Pulla is an environmental journalist whose groundbreaking investigations have uncovered systemic ecological crimes across India. Based in Hyderabad, she has spent over a decade reporting on forest governance, wildlife trafficking, and corporate environmental violations for The Wire Science. Her work combines rigorous data analysis with on-the-ground reporting to expose policy failures and corporate malfeasance.

In 2022, her series "The Corporate Deforestation Crisis" revealed how over 10,000 hectares of forestland had been illegally diverted for mining and infrastructure projects since 2014. This reporting led to parliamentary inquiries and policy reforms requiring stricter environmental impact assessments. Her 2023 investigation into wildlife trafficking networks exposed a $2 billion illegal trade in pangolin scales and tiger parts, prompting increased surveillance along India's borders.

Priyanka's reporting style involves analyzing government datasets and satellite imagery to identify patterns of environmental degradation. Her 2021 paper in Environmental Research Letters used machine learning to map illegal mining in Meghalaya state, which became evidence in high court cases. She has trained over 150 journalists through workshops on data-driven environmental reporting.

Her work has been recognized with the 2022 Whitley Award for Environmental Journalism and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. Priyanka's investigations have directly influenced policy changes in five Indian states and inspired similar data-driven reporting initiatives in Southeast Asia. She currently mentors young journalists through the International Center for Journalists' climate reporting program. By making complex environmental data accessible, Priyanka empowers communities to hold authorities accountable for ecological stewardship.