Sanctuary – RBS Wildlife Awards 2007 announced

Mumbai, December 6, 2007
RBS Bank, in partnership with Sanctuary magazine, today announced the winners of the eighth Annual Sanctuary RBS Wildlife Awards recognising individuals working for conservation of the wildlife and the environment across the country. The awards are instituted to recognize and reward “Earth Heroes” – men and women who are not afraid to stand up and be counted in the defence of our wildlife and environment. These are the people who are struggling to protect our wilderness areas and to ensure that India’s rich natural heritage is bequeathed in good health to future generations.


The spectrum of the 2007 Sanctuary RBS Wildlife Awards consist of One Lifetime Service Award, along with five Wildlife Service Awards, a Green Teacher Award, three Young Naturalists Awards, and a ‘Wind Under Wings’ Award for an organisation that has supported one or more of its employees to be of service to nature.


These Earth Heroes were chosen from among scores of nominations received across the country by a panel comprising active wildlifers, educators and conservationists. After sifting through scores of nominations from different walks of life (NGOs, Government officers, lawyers and educationists) Veteran wildlife biologist and a living legend, tiger biologist Dr. Ullas Karanth has been selected to receive the prestigious Sanctuary-RBS Wildlife Lifetime Service award, 2007.

The five Wildlife Service Award winners include

  • Ritwick Dutta , who drew upon his education in environmental law to take the legal route to protect India’s beleagured forests and wildlife, in the process challenging some of the most powerful people in the country
  • Sasi Kumar T, whose crusade against wildlife poaching has successfully helped in tracking several illegal wildlife trades
  • Tthe Mahouts of Bandhavgarh led by their head mahout E.A Kuttapan have been recognized for the hidden role they play in anti-poaching, fire fighting and park monitoring in the Bandavgarh Tiger Reserve
  • Bholu Abrar Khan, ‘Keeper of the Swamps’ in Bharatpur has spent a lifetime studying, protecting and securing the future of the of the Keoladeo Ghana National Park
  • Prerna Singh Bindra, one of India’s most prolific environmental journalists has been recognized for her dogged and courageous investigation and reportage of Indian wildlife in threat
This year’s Green Teacher Award goes to Sukumar Paira for nurturing and educating thousands of young children living on the Bali island in the Sunderbans, West Bengal.
Young Naturalist Award is being made presented to Aditya Chandra Panda, a young naturalist working to protect the wildlife of his home state, Orissa. In addition, a joint Young Naturalist Award goes out to two 18-year–old Manan tribals from Periyar -- Latha and Aneesh. They are proud members of Periyar's Tribal Heritage Ecodevelopment Committee, trained nature guides and a respected part of Periyar's forest protection force.
The Wind Under The Wings Award goes to Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT) an organisation that has supported Abhishek Behl to work in six Indian parks and sanctuaries in an effort to turn responsible tourism into a conservation tool.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Romesh Sobti, Executive Vice President and Country Executive, India, RBS BANK N. V., said, “India is passing through a critical period when economics and ecology must find a harmonious balance. At RBS we have always believed that good ecology amounts to good long-term economics. And through the Sanctuary RBS Wildlife Awards, we endeavour to spotlight the Earth Heroes we honour today and their unparalleled efforts that we recognize so that these serve as great examples for the rest of us.”
Bittu Sahgal, Editor of Sanctuary adds: “Never before in the history of the subcontinent have ecosystems and endangered species been as threatened as today. With climate change a reality, protecting the tiger, the elephant, the rhino and marine turtle habitats amounts to protecting current and future generations of Indians. Because without these infrastructures, the Earth’s climate will spin out of control and then where would we be?”
Nine years ago, RBS Bank N.V. (India) joined hands with Sanctuary, India’s leading wildlife magazine, to honour ordinary men and women engaged in an extraordinary mission -- to save the planet. So began the Sanctuary RBS Wildlife Awards, constituted to shine a spotlight on the Earth Heroes so that the rest of us may be inspired to protect life-support systems upon which the economic and even the internal security of India is dependent.
The Sanctuary - RBS Wildlife Awards 2007 will be presented on December 7, 2007 at the Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai.

For further details please contact:

Mayuri
Sanctuary magazine
Tel: 2301 6848/49/50
Preeti/ Deepa/Neethu
Adfactors PR
Tel: 2281 3565

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