Pune-born ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil will receive the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement along with noted American marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco from Oregon State University on April 23.
The $200,000 cash prize will be awarded for leadership in the development of conservation and sustainability policies in the country as well as globally.
Gadgil speaking with iamin said, “We must engage local people who are directly affected by policies, if we want to promote sustainability and balance economics, culture and conservation.”
Gadgil will receive the award for engaging local people in the conservation policy and promoting the field of environmental science nationally. He was a driving force behind the crafting of India’s National Biodiversity Act and more recently chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, known as the Gadgil Committee, to offer guidelines on the protection and development of the Western Ghats.
Working with local forest communities in the forest belt, Gadgil believes that management in the hands of locals is most effective in ensuring economic opportunity and sustainable use of natural resources while preserving sacred groves and local cultures.
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