The Balipara Foundation Awards introduced by the Balipara Foundation in 2013, stands as a platform to reward and encourage the efforts of grassroots conservationist and social entrepreneurs working tirelessly towards preserving the rich biodiversity of the Eastern Himalayas.
The Annual Balipara Foundation Award
Bengia Manna Sonam, Arunachal Pradesh
Bengia Manna Sonam began the community tourism or homestay movement
mainly with women involved across the length and breadth of Arunachal
Pradesh, a cross-community action which brought the several tribal
communities closer. Being a state blessed with the best natural resource in the
country, she efficiently linked Rural Tourism and Homestay movement with
conservation of local natural resources and revived local traditions linked to
the conservation of the natural resources. Hundreds of women are not only
economically independent through this movement, but are also empowered to
lead several initiatives, like handicrafts, handlooms and other traditional agro
produce which can bring economic value to the family and society. With
tremendous efforts and as true community leader, Bengi Manna Sonam has
managed to motivate communities through training workshops at the
destinations/sites, where conservation is linked to backyard biodiversity and
and are followed by market linkages. For this, we honour her.
Eastern Himalayan Conservation Award
Rohini Ballave Saikia, IFS Assam
Rohini Ballave Saikia has been a key personality and a true success towards
conservation and protection of critically endangered wildlife species in the
Kaziranga National Park. During his tenure from 2016 to as on date a total of
142 poachers have been arrested by the forest department or in joint
operations by the forest staff and police personnel. The park has seen a
significant reduction in the number of instances of entry of poachers inside
Kaziranga National Park and subsequent fall in the number of rhinos falling
prey to the bullets of poachers. He has spearheaded some of the significant
conservation initiatives and under his leadership, several initiatives have been
taken to strengthen the anti-poaching infrastructure of the National Park
including the construction of numerous bunkers along the periphery of
Kaziranga National Park and construction of strategic anti-poaching camps and
watchtowers at strategic sites. As a true leader, he has regularly organized
training and capacity building activities that have made it possible for the
frontline staff to be more prepared to perform their duties and to perform
them in a more secure and scientific method. For this, we honour him.
Food For The Future Award
Mahan Chandra Borah, Assam
Mahan Chandra Borah has pioneered a unique library called the Annapurna
seed library in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas to preserve indigenous
rice seeds. With the initiative he has taken under his prevue, he has been to
preserve the rare indigenous rice varieties, one grain at a time. The objective
of the library is to help in securing genetic diversity for climate resilience.
Annapurna Seed Library is the only library in North East India to save the
indigenous rice seeds. Mahan Chandra Borah's mission is to collect and
promote the cultivation of heirloom rice in the region because of the growing
climate concern. He started the library 12 years ago from Meleng in Assam. A
history graduate turned farmer was curious to find out the local varieties of
rice in the nearby villages or hamlets. His subsequent efforts made it possible
to build a library which now include different varieties of rice like flood-
tolerant, aromatic, black rice, etc. He has been able to create an impact
through his awareness camps for students, preservation of rice varieties to
help farmers reach a higher output of rice through their farm lands and to
contribute through his perseverance of biodiversity conservation. For this, we
honour him.
Forest Rangers & Guards Award
Sherab Dorji, Bhutan
Sherab Dorji has been working with the local communities ever since he joined
the Department of Forests and Park Services in 2009. He created a Bamboo
and Cane Community Forest Management Group which has been one of the
most successful forest-based enterprise in Zhemgang. He not only was able to
set up an enterprise but could also mobilize communities to manage seedlings
of cane and bamboo, look into quality production, provide proper training to
the people with regard to market chain supplies and forest management. With
his utmost leadership quality that resides within him, Sherab Dorji envisions
having sustained resources harnessed with the idea of an income generation.
The conservation and sustainable management of the limited resources is
being prioritized and the stewardship is being emphasized. For this, we honour
him.
Green Guru Award
Dr. Sherub, Bhutan
Dr. Sherub is a leading naturalist in Bhutan, with a special interest in birds. He
heads the Center for Conservation at the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for
Conservation & Environmental Research. He has been instrumental in the
assessment of bird diversity in all the protected areas in the country. He has
added 30 records in the list of Birds of Bhutan. Currently, he is involved in
conducting a research to understand the "bird migration systems in the
Eastern Himalayas" working on numerous focal species such as the Himalayan
Griffon, Black-necked Crane, Snow Pigeon, translocation experiment in Indian
House Crow and livestock migration in Bhutan. Dr. Sherub is Bhutan's first
person who studied about the birds since his college education back in 1992.
Since then he has continuously pursued his interest in Birding and became
Bhutan's first ornithologist. He has been recording natural sounds (bird songs)
and has produced three audio editions of the bird songs of Bhutan. The third
edition has songs from nearly 400 species which were circulated to all the
schools in Bhutan aiming that school children learn about birds by their songs.
For this, we honour him.
Lifetime Service Award
Sagar Mehta, Assam
An ardent nature lover and the President of the Koomtai Tea Estate, 92 year
old Sagar Mehta is still going strong, 65 years since he first began working with
tea in 1954, though today, he is a nature and community conservationist first,
transforming rural agriculture through interdependency. A true radical, Sagar
Mehta believes in the power of restorative agriculture, introducing organic
agroforestry and healthy water practices to regenerate water bodies –
benefiting not just people, but local species. We salute his leadership skills in
mobilizing communities to protect forests, plant millions of bushes and restore
water bodies: action worth millions. He is a true warrior for community
conservation, braving weather and climate challenges to deliver profit to
people and planet through his unique perspective of being socially impactful,
economically relevant and environmentally sustainable. For this, we honour
him.
Nature Conservancy Award
Moirangthem Loiya Ngamba, Manipur
Moirangthem Loiya Ngamba is an inspiration who is responsible for the
increased green cover in the Punshilok hill in the Langol Hill Range, close to
Manipur's capital city Imphal. Through Wildlife and Habitat Protection Society
(WAHPS), he has been actively engaged in conserving the rich natural
resources of the region. In a little over a decade, Punshilok has transformed
from a dry, barren hill into a verdant forest teeming with wildlife. And this has
happened due to the tireless efforts of Moirangthem Loiya Ngamba and his
team that was determined to restore the ecological balance that originally
existed in the region. To ensure that the saplings were carefully nurtured and
protected, Moirangthem decided to make Punshilok his home. He built a small
hut for himself and lived on the hill, all alone, for the next six years. Under his
careful attention, lush green vegetation spread over the land, breathing life
into it. He has been a harbinger of change, setting the best example for the
current and coming generations all over the world. For this, we honour him.
Naturenomics™ Award
Kürütsechu Self Help Group, Nagaland
The formation of the Kürütsechu Self Help Group has brought women of
Meluri village collectively in preserving a heritage practice passed on through
generational transmission in cotton cultivation which was on the decline in
their society in 2013. Rather than import cotton, the SHG members took the
collective decision to engage traditional practices and sustain the rural
economy. The cultivation of cotton is grown in rice fields which are left to
fallow therefore, with the least impact on the environment that requires no
slash and burning of fertile and forested areas. It empowers women members
financially through collective strength in numbers while sustaining rural
futures. The Self-Help Group has brought women of Meluri village together in
preserving a heritage practice passed on through generations in cotton
cultivation. Rather than importing cotton, the members took the collective
decision to engage traditional practices and sustain the rural economy. Their
collective actions and initiatives towards restoring and reviving a cultural
product and, in the process, financially empowering these communities
thereby has lead to a sustainable rural future through the principle of
Naturenomics™. For this, we honour them.
Special Recognition Award
Dr. Zabed Hossain, Bangladesh
Dr. Zabed Hossain is a Professor at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh at the Department of Botany -researching and teaching in the area of Plant ecology, Molecular ecology and Environmental biology.
With an extensive research entailing plant-microbe interactions, abiotic stresses (e.g. arsenic, salinity and drought) on plants and its adaptation mechanisms – Dr. Zabed Hossain has been a true leader in allowing the society at large to understand the varying dynamics of theory and ground realities to touch base at the same time. Because of academicians like Dr. Hossain, it has been possible for onsite workers and implementational policies to be able to execute and envision a healthy ecology. Dr. Hossain’s further accomplishments include engaging in research studies and analyzing ecological relationships between plant and soil microbial communities in grasslands with reference to their structural and functional linkages. For this, we honour him.
Special Recognition Award
Bilinso Syiemlieh: Kong, Meghalaya
Born 1953, Kong has been working in the forest since her childhood. She has
been active in collecting wild ornamental plants from the forest and sells door
to door at homes in her village in Jakrem, South west Khasi hills. Kong has
explored the forests of the Eastern Himalayas for over 60 years now. As a
naturalist, she has been learning about mushrooms while roaming in the
forests. She has been active in collecting wild ornamental plants from the
forest and sells door to door at homes in her village in Jakrem, South west
Khasi hills. Along with other women from her community, she collect
mushrooms, experiment and differentiate between edible and non- edible
poisonous mushrooms in her own way. She encourages other women in her
community to secure food and livelihood from the forest. For this, we honour
her.
Special Recognition Award
Hasina Kharbhih, Meghalaya
Hasina Kharbhih grew up in Shillong and has always been in the league of
making a change by allowing herself to never give up on her dreams to be able
to give back to the communities in and around, thus becoming the founder of
Impulse NGO. Even without an ounce of funding, the group which she led
forward had the zeal in them to take the initiative of generating livelihoods for
communities such as those of Syntein village, East Khasi Hills District of
Meghalaya. They started working with village women artisans to help them
apply their traditional skills to develop a sustainable livelihood. Through
Impulse she works with village women artisans to help them apply their
traditional skills to develop a sustainable livelihood. She has not only worked
towards women empowerment but has also broadened the horizons in the
field of entrepreneurship and furthered her endeavors through contributing
thought leadership in local newspapers and social interest stories to fuel
projects through sustained incomes. The initiative that has been taken by
Impulse NGO is one of its kind in the North Eastern region of India. For this, we
honour her.
Special Recognition Award
Tanzema Elephant Friendly Village, Bhutan
The efforts and environmental stewardship of Tanzema Elephant Friendly
Village, Bhutan has demonstrated living in harmony with nature and proven
that nature and humans are interdependent. The village has constructed
electric fencing to mitigate human elephant conflict and continues to carry
forward traditional conservation and farming practices. Their commitment has
accorded the title of Elephant Friendly village in the heart of the Eastern
Himalayas and the guardians of the Gentle Giants. Their innovation and
creativity in protecting the Park's biological diversity in parallel to fostering
rural livelihood through agriculture and promoting the tourism in the region is
remarkable. For this, we honour them.
Special Recognition Award
Biswendu Bhattacharjee, Tripura
Biswendu Bhattacharjee is currently a Correspondent for the Times of India
and also a contributor to Asia's premier fortnightly on politics of environment
and development assisted by the Centre for Science and Environment called
Down to Earth. He has spearheaded as a leaderand has authored two highly
acclaimed informative book on Climate and Nature of Tripura, five textbooks of
Environmental Science (Paribesh Bijygan for Class VI to Class X) for school
students & Teachers Manual during 2004 and 2005, published by Tripura Board
of Secondary Education, Agartala and is one of the Editors – Biodiversity
Resources of Northeast; Concept Publication, New Delhi. He is heading one of
the leading NGO of Tripura – Association for Research on People And Nature
(ARPAN), an assemblage of professionals and academicians. Acknowledging
Mr. Bhattacharjee's work would be imperative to understand the dynamics
between journalism, education and environmental activism. His contributions
are encouraging and enlightening to journalists all over the country and the
world, therefore acting as a leading example for future changemakers. For this,
we honour him.
Young Naturalist Award
Ganga Limbu, Nepal
As a girl child who has been brought up in rural Nepal, 24- year-old Ganga
Limbu's first accomplishment in the entire region was to complete higher
education. As KTKBELT's youngest program officer in the outdoor education
program, she is teaching and mentoring 6th to 8th graders to become
conservation leaders, guiding them in how to tell their own stories. Her efforts
were profiled by CNN in the year 2019. Ganga has also been one of the leaders
of educating young kids about conservation topics and is training the youth to
document the knowledge and plant diversity in their communities as part of
the Vertical University project. She embarked on a journey to make 75+ videos,
archiving this knowledge for future generations in the form of an 'Indigenous
Knowledge Portal' which Ganga now leads. With each video, her skills get
better. With a dream to build a library of thousands of such videos, Ganga
envisions to design a video storage house that illustrates the collective power
of the place-based knowledge system. For this, we honour her.
