TOI reporter bags first Green Journalist Award

Panaji:

TOI

reporter Paul Fernandes has won the

first

‘Green

Journalist

Award’ constituted by the state government under the Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB)of the environment ministry. It will be presented on Sunday by environment minister Nilesh Cabral on the occasion of World Environment Day, at the NIO auditorium, Dona Paula.

The Goa State Biodiversity Conservation Awards for 2022 were announced in appreciation of exemplary contribution in the field of the conservation of biodiversity, ecology and environment.

The Green Journalist Award comes after a series of reports highlighting issues related to conservation of shellfish, migrant bird population during winter, threats to bird habitats and wetlands, including Carambolim, Bondvol and Chimbel lakes.

The other awards being conferred include Best Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) Award, which has gone to the Pomburpa-Olaulim BMC for North Goa. It was among first BMCs under Alvito D’Silva and Prabhakar Halarnkar to carry out extensive participatory consultation with stakeholders and prepare a People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) with cross referencing.

Chicalim BMC has won it in the South Goa category, which under Rui Manuel da Costa Araujo, galvanised the community to guard the Chicalim bay and windowpane oysters.

The BMCs of Chodan Madel, Pilerne, Rivona, Ambaulim, Candolim and Chinchinim Deussua have won appreciation awards.

In the individual category, Suresh Kunkalikar (North Goa), principal of Don Bosco College of Agriculture, Sulcorna, Quepem, has won the award for his significant contributions of new and emerging threats by viruses to plant and agrobiodiversity. Kanta Gayak (South Goa) hails from Shristhal, Canacona, and has won the award for his extensive knowledge of medicinal value of places and through it promoting conservation of bio-resources.

Zarina Fernandes, Yeshodha Gawade, Lata Gawade and Jyoti Heblekar have won appreciation awards.

The Biodiversity Enthusiast Award has been awarded to Ramesh Zarmekar in North Goa and Johnson Stephen in South Goa for their rescue efforts.

The applied biodiversity researcher award has been bagged by Manohara K K, senior scientist (genetics and plant breeding), ICAR - CCARI, Old Goa. His research has created livelihood opportunities for farmers and led to provisioning timely seeds.