Two Indians have been awarded with the prestigious Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation.
Dr Ananda Kumar, a conservationist from India, was awarded the prize, in honour of his work using innovative communication systems to enable human-elephant coexistence in southern India. Another winner, dubbed ‘Green Oscar’ is Dr Pramod Patil. He has been awarded for his work to protect the iconic great Indian bustard in the Thar Desert.
HRH The Princess Royal presented the awards and each of them receiving a Whitley prize worth £35,000 at a ceremony in London on 29th April 2015
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About Dr Ananda Kumar
Dr Ananda has developed an Elephant Information Network (EIN) which acts as an early warning mechanism to alert people when elephants are nearby, minimise negative human-elephant interactions, and increase people’s tolerance towards elephants.
A trained conflict response team tracks elephant movement and conveys this information to people via text messages, calls and mobile-operated red light indicators placed in strategic location.
Dr Anand is among the seven conservationists to have been awarded the Whitley Awards for their efforts to protect wildlife in developing countries.
About Dr Pramod Patil
Pramod and his team at the Bombay Natural History Society are helping to change opinions, develop positive relationships between authorities and local people, and enable better management of the land on which both community livelihoods and bustards depend.
His work is collecting crucial information about the species, and engaging people with anti-poaching activities.
Dr Pramod is among the seven conservationists to have been awarded the Whitley Awards for their efforts to protect wildlife in developing countries.
About Whitley Award
- The Whitley Awards are made annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
- It recognise and celebrate effective national and regional conservation leaders across the globe.
- The award are now amongst the most high profile of conservation prizes,they have been called the “Green Oscars.
- The Whitley Awards were established in 1994 by Edward Whitley.
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