NatWest Group India commends Conservation Champions for their Inspirational Victories in Sustainability

Year after year, the NatWest Group has been celebrating individuals and institutions across India, who have gone above and beyond their call of duty to conserve and protect wildlife and wild habitats, which are an integral part of biodiversity. The NatWest Group Earth Heroes Awards are an organic extension of the NatWest Group’s commitment to controlling climate change and reinstating sustainability.

The virtually held 11th edition of the NatWest Group Earth Heroes Awards 2021, in association with CNBC TV18, was commenced with welcome addresses by Punit Sood, Head of India, NatWest Group and N Sunil Kumar, Head of Sustainable Banking India & Head of NatWest India Foundation, NatWest Group.

The evening progressed with a beautiful rendition of ‘Rang Rataa’ by a team of NatWest Group employees, followed by a message from Alison Rose, Chief Executive, NatWest Group. She expressed her thoughts on climate change and sustainability as she described NatWest’s belief of finance being a key enabler in the drive towards net-zero emissions and the bank’s commitment towards helping the world reach this target by 2050.

Up next was Chief Guest of the evening, Ms. Ivonne Higuero, Secretary General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Commending the hosts of the event, nominees, and award-winners, Ms. Higuero urged that everyone must do their bit to fulfil the objectives of CITES’s vision and remain committed to sustainable human livelihoods everywhere.

The audience were treated to an engaging and informative fireside chat with four individuals, who have worked predominantly in both biodiversity and climate space. This included Dr. Balakrishna Pisupati, Head – Biodiversity, Land & Governance Program, UN; Subhash Chandra, Acting Director General of Forests, Government of India; Dr. Jayshree Vencatesan, Managing Trustee, Care Earth Trust; and N Sunil Kumar, Head of Sustainable Banking India & Head of NatWest India Foundation, NatWest Group who shared their thoughts on the way forward for biodiversity.

The highlight of the evening was the award presentations, which were interspersed throughout the event. The first award for outstanding achievements in the NatWest Group ‘Green Warriors’ category went to Shilpa SL, Range Forest Officer, Karnataka Forest Department, for her exceptional know-how of the law, excellent informer network, and initiation of action against poachers, illegal roads, forest encroachment, unlawful sawmills, illicit mining, sandalwood smugglers, and the timber mafia. Beyond rescuing mammals, birds, and reptiles, her record also included exceptional fire prevention and management efforts.

The second NatWest Group ‘Green Warriors’ award went to Nitish Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer, Orissa Forest Department, for creating a replicable and cost-effective technology with excellent outcomes for afforestation, fire control, and even tracking migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Quantum GIS (Geographic Information System) and drone technology, he facilitated habitat mapping, creation of water bodies, soil and moisture conservation, plant health mapping, elephant conservation, and even identification of illegal mining operations. Furthermore, his unique fire control rapid response system using satellite technology from NASA, resulted in timely control of forest fires.

In the ‘Earth Guardian’ award category, the first award went to the Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh for showcasing how conservation could go in tandem with the welfare of local communities. Being one of the best examples of responsible and sustainable tourism in protected areas, the Satpura Tiger Reserve has been a role model and a learning arena for habitat restoration, species recovery, community engagement, voluntary village relocation, and ecotourism.

The Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation (PaTCoF), Kerala, bagged the second award in the same category for its community-based ecotourism programme and pioneering efforts in tiger monitoring, using camera traps, which is now being replicated by other Indian states. With over 75% of its income being reinvested in the socio-economic development of the local communities, there has been no poaching and no major wildfires in the last ten years, and the reserve is evolving towards becoming a plastic-free zone.

Anil Kumar Bishnoi received the first of the two awards in the ‘Save the Species’ category, for a lifetime of extraordinary efforts to conserve Blackbuck and Chinkara in the state of Rajasthan. He has been at the forefront of education and advocacy campaigns, spanning over three decades, across 50 panchayats and has inspired local communities and the forest department through education and outreach activities to conserve these extraordinary antelopes. Thanks to his selfless service, community support for conservation has increased manifold and poaching has decreased considerably.

The second award in the category was presented to Arunima Singh from the Turtle Conservation Alliance for her exemplary grassroot efforts towards conserving North Indian Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises, Crocodilians, and the Gangetic River Dolphin. She has inspired and engaged rural and urban communities for conservation, educated thousands of children through ‘Kukral’ guided nature tours, helped sensitise fishing communities and built capacity of hundreds of frontline forest staff, veterinarians, and teachers, while assisting with remarkable rescues, repatriation, and rehabilitation of distressed animal species.

The NatWest Group Earth Heroes ‘Inspire’ Award 2021 was presented to Karma Sonam of Nature Conservation Foundation, Ladakh. As a conservation educator, he has inspired local communities from remote villages and youth from rest of India. He helped set up grazing free reserves for Tibetan Argali, Ladakh Urial, Bharal, and the Tibetan Gazelle and reduced human-wildlife conflict in 17 communities spread over 17,000 sq. km. He has also been pivotal in reaffirming the community’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with wildlife.

The final award of the evening, the prestigious NatWest Group ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award, went to Brij Mohan Singh Rathore. Over his 40 years of association with the Indian Forest Service, and several national and international organisations, and as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEFCC), he has made invaluable contributions in the field of participatory forest management and forest-based enterprise to enhance community livelihoods, eco-development, protected area management, and policy uptake for natural resource management and biodiversity conservation.

The evening concluded with a hearty vote of thanks from Saurabh Gupta, India CFO & Head of Finance Hub India, NatWest Group. He thanked the jury, NatWest employees, event organisers, and all the dignitaries who assembled virtually to make the 11th edition of the NatWest Group Earth Heroes Awards ceremony a great success. He congratulated all the award winners for their exemplary work in protecting biodiversity and mitigating climate change.