Context: Veteran ecologist Madhav Gadgil has received the UN’s highest environmental honour — the ‘Champions of the Earth’ Award — for 2024.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Champions of the Earth Award; Madhav Gadgil Report.
About Champions of the Earth Award:
- Champions of the Earth is the highest UN honour in the field of environment.
- It is awarded to outstanding figures from the public sector, private sector and civil society, whose actions have brought a positive impact and transformation on the environment.
- The award is presented in five categories: Lifetime Achievement, Policy Leadership, Action and Inspiration, Entrepreneurial Vision and Science & Innovation.
- Awarded by: United Nations Environment Program.
- Launched in: 2005
About Madhav Gadgil:
- Madhav Gadgil is a prominent Indian Ecologist with notable contributions to environmental conservation efforts in India.
- He is a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.
- His early research helped in the identification of the Nilgiris as the first biosphere reserve in India.
- He is one of the architects of India’s Biological Diversity Act and was involved in the implementation of the Forest Rights Act.
- He was the chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel or the Gadgil Commission, which submitted a report (Gadgil Committee Report) in 2011.
- The report marked around 64% of the Western Ghats region as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).
- He has emphasised the role of local communities (locals, indigenous populations and gram Sabhas) in protecting the environment.
Read also: Western Ghats