Ecologist Bibhuti Lahkar from Assam was given the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s prestigious Heritage Heroes Award, 2016 for his contribution towards conservation of Manas National Park and community development on the fringes of the protected area.
Lahkar, an expert on grassland conservation associated with biodiversity NGO Aaranyak, won the award at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii that started from September 1. It will continue till September 10.
Lahkar also became the first Asian to get the award.
Lahkar, who was closely linked with the revival of Manas for almost 18 years, was selected for the award following maximum votes he got from different parts of the world from August 24 to 31.