Hello

I’m Richa Syal, a journalist covering environmental investigations. My work has been published by The Guardian, The Associated Press, National Geographic, Middle East Eye, The Globe & Mail, Mongabay and others. My reporting has been featured on BBC World Service and CBC’s World Report. In the past, I have covered unsustainable practices of fisheries, smuggling routes of the illegal wildlife trade, failed tree conservation initiatives, and the exploitation of marine species.

I also have an extensive history working as a web-developer and data journalist for the CBC and with the Globe & Mail before that. Impactful visual presentation is endlessly fascinating to me, and I’ve stayed attached to learning and growing in this field, be it through mentorship or with commissioned projects. My past projects involving my front-end web development can be viewed on my Portfolio page.

I’m currently based in the UAE, and before that was working in Malaysia with the Peabody-nominated investigative team R.AGE. Together we worked on uncovering the illegal pangolin trade from Malaysia to Hong Kong.

Since 2020, I’ve been a core member of the Environmental Reporting Collective, and data associate for The Oxpeckers Center for Investigative Environmental Journalism.

I hold a Master’s degree in Media, Communications & Development from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelors of Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto.

My aim is to thoughtfully amplify the voices of people and communities impacted by climate, forced migration and government/corporate injustices. I’m always open to commissions, mentorship and collaboration — please get in touch!