Conservation

An environment hero at age 8, Thaaragai Arathana from Chennai started diving when she was just 5 years old. She now fishes out plastic waste from the ocean to conserve marine life.

Rakesh Khatri has created thousands of nests for sparrows, and can teach you how to make sparrow nests at home.

Home to more than 20 per cent of the planet's entire biodiversity, islands are our key to survival and yet they continue to be exploited and degraded. Island Conservation, a global non-profit organisation, is working to change this reality.

In Kerala, the Chavara Darsan CMI Public School is moving towards carbon neutrality with its ecofriendly initiative, growing a lush bamboo garden, organic vegetables, aquaculture farm, a herbal garden, and more on its campus.

Abdul Kareem from Kerala single-handedly turned 27 acres of barren land into a flourishing forest of 5000 trees that today hosts innumerable varieties of flora and fauna.

Wildlife warrior Ramki Sreenivasan started the non-profit Conservation India (CI) and Friends of the Amur Falcon to stop the illegal poaching of over one lakh of the threatened migratory birds in Nagaland.

Jharkhand engineer Vishal Prasad Gupta has developed a bio-fuel manufactured from a species of microalgae native to the state's ponds, which is not only more eco-friendly than petrol and diesel, but also low cost.

Himmataram Bhambhu from Rajasthan received the Padma Shri for his efforts in environment conservation and safeguarding the lives and interests of wildlife and birds in his home district.

Dr Raghavendra R, a programme coordinator for National Service Scheme (NSS) at Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru and his students have received four lakes, ten water ponds and eight temples as a part of community service

Pune-based Pravin Thete is a strong advocate for wild berries and 'boras' from ber trees in Baner. Over seven years, he has documented 54 varieties of wild berries in the Sahyadri region in terms of colour, taste, benefits and the quantity of fruits the plant yields.