Two Indian activists on Wednesday won the annual Whitley Awards, dubbed as the 'Green Oscars', for their works in the field of animal and bird conservation in India.
Sanjay Gubbi won the award for his work to protect Karnataka's tiger corridors, and Purnima Barman for creating an all-female network to save the Greater Adjutant stork, known in India as Hargila, and its wetland habitat in Assam.
The two Indians are among six global winners of the award shortlisted from 166 entries. Each of the winners receives 35,000 pounds (USD 45,374) prize money in project funding over one year.
"This is a life-changing event for my team. It is a dream of every conservationist to win this award and the prize money will go a long way in expanding our Hargila Army network," said Barman, who got attracted to the project while she worked on her PhD in Kamrup district of Assam.
The Hargila storks are large scavenger birds with a global population of just 1,200, 75 per cent of which are found in Assam.