Dr. Ramana Athreya, Associate Professor in the Physics and Biology departments at IISER Pune, has received the Wildlife Service Award for the year 2022 from the Sanctuary Nature Foundation.
Being given out annually since 2000, the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards were instituted by Sanctuary Nature Foundation to recognise the contribution of individuals working for the protection of wildlife and natural habitats in India. Each year, 8-10 winners from all walks of life are selected as the recipients of one of these titles: Wildlife Service Award, Lifetime Service Award, Green Teacher Award, and Young Naturalist Award.
For the year 2022, 8 winners have been chosen in all, Dr. Ramana Athreya being one of them. Read here details about all the winners for the year 2022.
The citation given to Dr. Athreya refers to him as a "...vital bridge between academic and fieldwork in Arunachal Pradesh" and applauds Dr. Athreya and his PhD students on their valuable ecology and astronomy research.
The full citation is included below.
"You are a vital bridge between academia and field work in Arunachal Pradesh. One of your most important contributions to our knowledge of avians was the description of a new bird species – the Bugun liocichla – in Arunachal Pradesh in 2006. You believe that wildlife conservation will succeed only if the needs and concerns of the local community are part of the solution and toward this undertook the mentoring of the local Bugun tribal community to ensure conservation of this critically endangered species and its habitat. This resulted in the Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve (SBVCR), where you work, winning the India Biodiversity Award in 2018. You and your Ph.D. students are involved in valuable ecology and astronomy research and through your science outreach work, you also spend considerable time engaging with young men and women in colleges and schools across India.
Untangling the complexities of biodiversity conservation and community sustenance is your life’s work and mission. Your spirited fight for the natural world and for the dignity and sustenance of local communities is beacon in the world of today."
We extend our hearty congratulations to Dr. Ramana Athreya on this recognition!!
