Indian conservationists win Whitley Awards for work on threatened wetland species
Indian conservationists Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh have been awarded the 2026 Whitley Awards for their community-led efforts to protect the Himalayan salamander and the endangered Indian skimmer. Subba's work focuses on conserving the salamander's habitat in Darjeeling amid threats from urbanization and climate change, while Shaikh's 'Guardians of the Skimmer' initiative has significantly improved nesting success and population growth of the Indian skimmer on the Chambal River. The Whitley Awards, often called the 'Green Oscars,' provide £50,000 in funding to support and scale up grassroots conservation projects in the Global South.
- ▪Barkha Subba, from the Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection, is leading the first coordinated effort to conserve the Himalayan salamander in Darjeeling.
- ▪Parveen Shaikh of the Bombay Natural History Society increased Indian skimmer nest survival from 14% to 27% through local community engagement and monitoring.
- ▪The Himalayan salamander is the only salamander species found in Nepal and is endemic to India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
- ▪India hosts over 90% of the global population of the Indian skimmer, which nests on seasonal sandbars vulnerable to river flow changes.
- ▪The Whitley Fund for Nature awards £50,000 to winners to support one year of project expansion and local biodiversity solutions.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Indian conservationists win Whitley Awards for work on threatened wetland speciesIndian conservationists Barkha Subba, Parveen Shaikh win Whitley Awards for conservation of Himalayan salamander and endangered Indian skimmerPublished on: Apr 30, 2026 5:49 PM ISTBy Jayashree Nandi, New DelhiShare viaCopy link Indian conservationists Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh have won the prestigious 2026 Whitley Awards for their work in protecting the habitat of the Himalayan salamander and conserving nesting sites of the endangered Indian skimmer along the Chambal river through community-led efforts.Indian conservationists Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh win Whitley Awards 2026 for protecting Himalayan salamander and Indian skimmer habitatsSubba, a scientific adviser at the Darjeeling-based…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Hindustan Times — Top.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Hindustan Times — Top
