By TCN News,
Hyderabad: Salim Ali Awards for Nature Conservation, 2012 are being awarded at a ceremony, organized during the International Biodiversity Conference here in Hyderabad.
Pavan Sukhdev, Ravi Sankaran and Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary, Nagaland were awarded for their works in the field of biodiversity conservation.
Awards were presented by Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Conference of Parties (CoP11), and Andhra Pradesh governor E.S.L. Narshimam.
During their brief speech both guests urged the people to protect the biodiversity and environment for poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development.
Salim Mouizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Popularly known as the ‘birdman of India,’ Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology.
He became a key figure behind the Bombay Natural History Society after 1947 and used his personal influence to garner government support for the organization, create the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (Keoladeo National Park) and prevent the destruction of what is now the Silent Valley National Park.
In 1967 he became the first non-British citizen to receive the Gold Medal of the British Ornithologists’ Union. He was awarded India’s second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan in 1976.
He passed away in 1987 at the age of 91 from cancer. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) was established at Coimbatore by the Government of India in his memory.