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Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil honored with UN’s highest environmental award
The 82-year-old academic has received the 2024 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award for his six-decade career in environmental advocacy.
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Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil / Website: unep.org/championsofearth
Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, 82, has been honored with the 2024 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award, the United Nations’ highest environmental recognition.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognizes individuals every year and organizations that are creating innovative and sustainable solutions to tackle the three major environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. These champions drive economic change, inspire innovation, push for political action, fight environmental injustice, and protect our natural resources.
Gadgil is known for his six-decade-long career and has been a key figure in advocating for the protection of India’s ecosystems while prioritizing the rights of marginalized communities.
Gadgil’s work, particularly the Gadgil Report of 2011, called attention to the environmental threats facing India’s Western Ghats, urging for ecologically sensitive areas to be preserved amidst growing industrial pressures. His research has been instrumental in influencing policies like the Biological Diversity Act and the Forest Rights Act, which empower local communities to manage and conserve natural resources.
A pioneer in community-driven conservation, Gadgil founded India’s first biosphere reserve, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in 1986. His efforts have helped safeguard biodiversity in areas plagued by deforestation and habitat degradation. Gadgil’s mentorship of young people in rural India, teaching them about ecosystem preservation, has furthered his legacy.
Despite the challenges posed by climate change, Gadgil remains optimistic about the future. “Communities are getting organized, and we must work with them,” he says, highlighting the importance of inclusive development. His contributions continue to inspire a new generation of environmental leaders in India and beyond.
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