Heritage Hero Award : Environment for UPSC Exams
Assam-based ecologist and conservation activist Bibhuti Lahkar has become the firstAsian to be awarded the prestigious Heritage Heroes Award by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
He received the award at the IUCN’s 25thWorld Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The award recognises the “outstanding efforts” around the world in making a difference in the conservation of World Heritage sites in challenging situations.
He has been working to save the grasslands, flora and fauna of Manas National Park area for the past two decades.
He was also instrumental in connecting Manas Wildlife Sanctuary with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan, which led to a system of trans-boundary wildlife monitoring and now supports management in the entire Manas natural area that spreads across India and Bhutan.
- He also conducted the first GIS survey of the park and his research findings and recommendations are a critical component in the Manas Tiger Conservation Plan.