Who are Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh, the Indian conservationists among this year’s ‘Green Oscars’ winners?

Two Indian conservationists — Dr. Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh — are among six global winners of the 2026 Whitley Awards, popularly known as the "Green Os...

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Two Indian conservationists — Dr. Barkha Subba and Parveen Shaikh — are among six global winners of the 2026 Whitley Awards, popularly known as the "Green Oscars."
Dr. Barkha Subba, from Darjeeling, won for her work scaling grassroots protection for the Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton verrucosus) and its wetland breeding habitat in the Darjeeling Himalaya, West Bengal.
Parveen Shaikh won for her community-led riverine bird conservation model centred on the Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis), which she is expanding to the Ganga Basin at Prayagraj.
Under Shaikh's conservation efforts, Indian Skimmer numbers in targeted areas grew from approximately 400 individuals in 2017 to nearly 1,000 in 2025.
Each Whitley Award winner receives £50,000 in project funding, international media coverage, and is recognised at a ceremony associated with Princess Anne of the United Kingdom.

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The Whitley Award ("Green Oscars")

The Whitley Awards are presented annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a UK-based charitable organisation established in 1994 by Edward Whitley OBE. The awards support grassroots conservation leaders working in biodiversity-rich, resource-poor countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Established: 1994; first award given in 1994 for seahorse conservation in the Philippines.
Commonly known as the "Green Oscars" — considered one of the most prestigious international conservation honours.
Up to six individuals are awarded annually; each winner receives £50,000 in project funding for one year.
WFN has disbursed over £26 million to approximately 200 conservation leaders across 80+ countries since inception.
Selection is based on scientific rigour, community participation, and demonstrated on-ground impact.

Connection to this news: Indian conservationists have repeatedly won this award, reflecting the country's growing presence in grassroots biodiversity conservation — a theme that appears in Mains questions on India's international environmental commitments and biodiversity governance.

Himalayan Salamander (Tylototriton verrucosus)

The Himalayan salamander (also called the Himalayan crocodile newt or Himalayan newt) is the only species of the order Caudata (salamanders and newts) found in the Indian subcontinent. It is not endemic to India — its range extends to Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Vietnam — but India's Darjeeling district holds one of its significant breeding populations.

Scientific name: Tylototriton verrucosus (Anderson, 1871); Family: Salamandridae.
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (globally; population declining).
Order Caudata is among the most threatened amphibian groups globally due to habitat loss and the chytrid fungal disease (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis / B. salamandrivorans).
In India, the species is distributed in Darjeeling (West Bengal), Ukhrul and Senapati (Manipur), and Gandhigram (Arunachal Pradesh).
Primary threats: deforestation for agriculture, replacement of native forest with exotic conifer plantations, habitat drainage.
Amphibians are considered sensitive bioindicators — their decline signals degradation of freshwater and forest ecosystems.

Connection to this news: Dr. Subba's Whitley-funded project will protect seven critical breeding sites, restore wetland habitat, screen for chytrid disease, and engage local communities in sustainable land use — a model integrating science and participatory conservation.

Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) and Riverine Biodiversity

The Indian Skimmer is a charismatic riverine bird distinguished by its uniquely asymmetric bill — the lower mandible is longer than the upper — adapted for skimming the water surface to catch fish. It is primarily a breeding resident of large, sandy, low-gradient rivers in the Indian subcontinent.

Scientific name: Rynchops albicollis; Family: Laridae (gulls and terns).
IUCN Red List Status: Endangered (up-listed from Vulnerable in 2020).
Global population estimated at 6,000–10,000 individuals, with a declining trend.
Now almost entirely restricted to India as a breeding bird; key habitats include the Chambal, Ganga, Son, and Mahanadi river systems.
Major threats: sand mining (legal and illegal), riverbank modification, egg collection, cattle grazing on nesting sandbanks, and flooding of nests.
The 'Guardians of the Skimmer' community programme (initiated 2020) trains local residents to protect nesting colonies — a model that Parveen Shaikh's work builds upon.

Connection to this news: Shaikh's conservation model — which drove population recovery from ~400 to ~1,000 individuals — demonstrates the efficacy of community-based conservation for critically threatened riverine species, an approach increasingly highlighted in India's biodiversity policy discussions under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Biodiversity Conservation Frameworks in India

India's legal framework for wildlife and biodiversity conservation rests on several key instruments: the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2022); the Biological Diversity Act, 2002; and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Schedule I of the WPA, 1972 provides the highest level of protection for species listed therein.

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, governs access to biological resources and associated knowledge.
India ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1994; is party to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.
India's National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) aligns with the global biodiversity targets.
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) sets the "30x30" target — protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030.
Amphibians are listed under CITES Appendices based on trade threat; many species are protected under Schedule IV of the WPA.

Connection to this news: Both awarded projects operate within India's biodiversity governance framework, and their success illustrates the "people + science" model that India advocates in international biodiversity negotiations.

Key Facts & Data

Whitley Award value: £50,000 per winner per year; established in 1994 by Edward Whitley OBE.
Total WFN disbursement since 1994: over £26 million to ~200 conservationists across 80+ countries.
Himalayan salamander (Tylototriton verrucosus): IUCN Near Threatened; only Caudata species in the Indian subcontinent.
Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis): IUCN Endangered (up-listed 2020); population 6,000–10,000 individuals.
Indian Skimmer population recovery in Shaikh's project area: ~400 (2017) to ~1,000 (2025).
Key habitats for Indian Skimmer: Chambal, Ganga, Son, Mahanadi river systems.
Darjeeling (West Bengal) is the primary Indian breeding locality for the Himalayan salamander.
2026 Whitley Awards: six global winners, two from India.