NIRMAL KULKARNI AWARDED ROYAL BANK OF
SCOTLAND EARTH HERO AWARD 2013.
Goan field ecologist and conservationist, Nirmal Kulkarni,
was awarded the Royal Bank of Scotland Earth Hero award 2013 in the ‘Inspire’
category at a recently held award ceremony at the RBS lawns in Delhi on the 15th
of Nov 2013.
The award acknowledged the work and dedicated efforts of
Nirmal in preserving and protecting India’s natural heritage and specifically
for his work that has always been over and above his call of duty and this made
the jury unanimously decide on conferring this award to him.
Jury panel included luminaries like Dr Ulhas Karanth,
world-renowned tiger expert and Director Asia region Wildlife Conservation
Society, Ms Bahar Dutt, environment journalist, Dr Asad Rahamani, Director
Bombay Natural History Society, Mr Ranjit Singh and Mr Sunil Kumar, Director
RBS India Foundation amongst others.
During his 16 years of ground work with communities, field
staff, researchers and students, Nirmal has experimented the combination of
science, photography, activism and successfully linked field conservation,
communities, livelihoods, natural resource management and environment
protection in the Northern Western Ghats of India.
The Award acknowledged his role in inspiring youth as well as adults
alike over the past decade and creating an interest in biodiversity amongst the
masses. Nirmal’s long conservation work in the Mhadei Bio region corridor also
found a mention in the note.
The RBS Earth Heroes Awards is an attempt to bring
recognition and honor to individuals and institutions that work exceptionally
hard to preserve and protect our natural heritage. In the past, the awards have
been an effective platform for award recipients to display their work to a
larger audience and potentially expand the scope of their work from the
recognition and networking that accrued. The focus of 2013 was green
corridors, highlighting the importance of these crucial links connecting
wildlife habitats in the country.
The award was presented to Nirmal Kulkarni by Dr Asad
Rahamani, Director of Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.
Nirmal has dedicated this award to his team, his family and
the forests in the Northern Western Ghats of India, without which he would have
not been able to do what he does.
In his acceptance speech Nirmal specified that his priorities
are research, outreach and education in that order and that his dream is to
establish independent platforms for conservation science students as well as
interested wildlife enthusiasts actually to work in the Northern Western Ghats
of India.
He stated that the next 5 years of his work would be to
ensure that people across various landscapes, settings and cultures in India
understand the connection between forests and water and take small steps to do
something about it.
For more details please contact
Nirmal U Kulkarni
