Five get conservation awards on World Wildlife Day

Madurai: The Madurai forest division celebrated World Wildlife Day at the district collectorate in Madurai on Tuesday. The theme of the event was "medical and aromatic plants: conserving health and livelihood".As part of the celebrations, collector K J Praveen kumar presented the Community Conservation Leadership Award to five people for their contributions to wildlife and habitat conservation. The awardees were V Karthi for biodiversity conservation, P R Viswanath for wildlife conservation, T Badrinarayanan for wildlife conservation and research, N Raveendran for nature conservation and awareness, and S Ramasamy Kamaya Naicker for nature conservation and awareness. The awardees also received a cash prize of Rs 25,000 each. Besides, 500 school students from 25 govt schools across Madurai district were sensitised on wildlife conservation and biodiversity. Twenty-five teachers who guided and coordinated students under the programme were given an honorarium of Rs 2,000 along with a certificate. A workshop on wetlands also was conducted. Subject experts talked about the ecological importance of wetlands, associated biodiversity, conservation challenges and sustainable management practices.Special thematic presentations were delivered on snakes and their ecological importance, conservation of the Bengal fox and the golden jackal, and a presentation on the diversity of butterfly species in the country and their role as pollinators and environmental indicators.Collector Praveen Kumar emphasised on the collective responsibility and sustained action towards wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation. The forest division reaffirmed its commitment to engaging communities, educational institutions and conservation partners in preserving natural heritage for future.Other officials were present at the event conducted by The Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation (AIWC).