Bahar Dutt on ‘Shared Spaces’: Human beings are not outside nature

The documentary series 'Shared Spaces' explores the complex relationship between humans and wildlife in India. It challenges the Western narrative that humans exist outside of nature by highlighting community-led conservation and human-impacted ecosystems.
Why it matters
It promotes a more inclusive approach to environmental conservation that acknowledges the coexistence of human populations and biodiversity.
In India, wildlife exists in a sea of humanity. Still, their stories are often told as if human beings are outside nature, says award-winning environmental journalist Bahar Dutt, who believes this worldview stems from a Western cultural lens. It is this narrative that Shared Spaces , a six-part documentary series hosted by Bahar and filmed by her partner, Emmy-nominated wildlife filmmaker Vijay Bedi, deliberately subverts. “We tried to step away from the typical natural history format: blue-chip films being produced across the globe, which showcase animals living in beautiful forests,” says Vijay about the series, which is instead “told in the larger context of human-impacted wild spaces.”
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