EVENT OF THE MONTH : MAY 2013

WHITLEY AWARDS 2013

2nd of May 2013

The Royal Geographical Society, London

The Whitley Awards is a prestigious international prize awarded annually to individuals working in nature conservation at a grassroots level. This year, the prestigious prize was awarded to the Horbill Conservator from India, Dr. Aparajita Datta. It was for her project, "threatened hornbills as icons for the conservation of the Himalayan forests of Arunachal Pradesh, India". 

Princess Royal Anne, presented the award to Datta at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London. "Every winner has a close connection with their community, as well as experience and an understanding of the issues, which often relates to human-wildlife conflict, but they also know how to make an impact through practical solutions, engaging people and initiating change at government level", Princess Anne said. 

Nine species of hornbills live in India and Arunachal Pradesh is home to five of those, including the globally endangered rufous-necked hornbill and the brown hornbill. The state has more than 80% of its geographic area under forest cover. Dutta's project has also involved asking common people to adopt nests and so far he has found 70 donors who have ‘adopted’ nests. 

The Whitley Awards were first awarded in 1994 and over the past two decades.These awards are known as the ‘Green Oscars’ and are often awarded to conservationists working in conflict-torn and developing countries. This year was the 20th anniversary of the Whitley Prize and it saw a huge surge in submissions. 

Link: http://whitleyaward.org

News Courtesy: http://news.mongabay.com