Indian conservationists Parveen Sheikh and Barkha Subba have won the prestigious 2026 Whitley Awards, widely known as the “Green Oscars”, for their efforts to protect endangered species and fragile ecosystems in India.
The award, presented by the UK-based Whitley Trust for Nature, recognizes grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South. Sheikh was honored for saving the endangered Indian skimmer along the Chambal and Ganga river systems. Meanwhile, Suba has won praise for protecting rare Himalayan salamanders and wetland habitats in Darjeeling. Now community-led conservation projects, wildlife conservation efforts, and biodiversity restoration work are drawing global attention to India’s growing role in environmental conservation and protecting endangered species.
Parveen Sheikh’s mission to save the endangered Indian skier
Over the years, Parveen Sheikh has been working silently on the banks of India’s rivers to preserve a very rare species of bird found there, the Indian Skimmer. This river bird is distinguished by its distinctive orange beak, and it relies on a strange hunting method. However, their numbers have declined sharply due to habitat destruction, pollution, sand mining and changes in water flow.
Photo(s): WFN
As the Whitley Fund for Nature has noted, today’s Indian skimmer population makes up at least 90 percent of its total worldwide population.
As for Sheikh’s conservation efforts, most of them have centered around the Chambal river systems, where the woman launched the community-based “Guardians of the Skimmer” project.The positive results of Sheikh’s work have not been overlooked either. Specifically, nest survival rates have risen from 14 percent to 27 percent, and the number of native birds has doubled, rising from about 400 in 2017 to nearly 1,000 last year.Commenting on the preservation of the Indian scraper, Sheikh said the following:“It’s small successes, like protecting one nest, or a chick taking its first flight, that remind us that hard work pays off.”Whitley Prize funding will now help expand its conservation model to include Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet.
Battle of Barkha Suba to protect Himalayan salamanders
In the wetlands of Darjeeling, Dr Barkha Subba is fighting another important battle, this time to conserve the rare amphibian known as the Himalayan salamander, which is referred to as a ‘living fossil’.
Photo(s): WFN
According to the Whitley Trust for Nature’s press release, threats to this particular species, which is only found in certain regions of India, Nepal and Bhutan, include habitat destruction due to urbanization, tourism, pollution, invasive alien species and climate change. As Scientific Advisor to the Federation of Societies for the Protection of the Environment (FOSEP), Dr. Subba has dedicated herself to studying this species and restoring its breeding sites over several years, including wetland management, disease surveillance, invasive alien species control and conducting awareness programs among tea garden workers, local communities, students and the general public.Dr. Subba gave the following descriptions of animals and societies:“Meeting a salamander is like meeting an emissary from ancient evolution; a reminder of how long nature has existed and how quickly we can destroy it.”“I see communities fighting for what they hold dear. I see young people making choices to preserve things, not to exploit them.”Through the Whitley Prize, conservation efforts will be implemented at seven major breeding sites in the Darjeeling Himalayas.
What are the Whitley Awards and why are they known as the “Green Oscars”
The Whitley Awards rank among the most prestigious awards given to conservationists in the world. It is awarded annually by the Whitley Trust for Nature at the Royal Geographical Society in London to conservationists who use science and collaboration to conserve biodiversity.This year’s ceremony was graced by Princess Anne, who is patron of the charity. Sir David Attenborough, a broadcaster and environmentalist in his own right, also praised the work of the award winners.According to Attenborough, “From mountain ranges to caves, a huge variety of habitats. From rainforests to deserts, from mountain ranges to caves, from coral reefs to the open ocean, we must act now; the world will not wait.” He went ahead and said: “We need the work of Whitley Prize winners to succeed and help them as much as possible.”The Whitley Fund for Nature is dedicated to accelerating the efforts of grassroots conservationists and has provided financial assistance to the world’s most respected conservationists since its inception by Edward Whiteley.
By engaging local communities as stakeholders in the conservation of natural environments, today’s conservationists combat biodiversity loss, climate change, land grabbing, food insecurity, and water scarcity.For Parveen Sheikh and Barkha Saba, the honor is more than just an award. It is proof that grassroots conservation, local communities, and scientific commitment can still make a real difference at a time when biodiversity loss and climate pressures are accelerating around the world.
