Guwahati, Dec 5: Noted environment activist Jorjo Tana Tara has made Arunachal Pradesh proud by winning the prestigious Naturenomics Award 2020 awarded by the Balipara Foundation.
The award was given today here in a virtual mode at the end of the 4-day long virtual edition of the 8th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum 2020 which brought together global leaders and experts to discuss this year’s theme ‘Ecology is Economy’. Tara, who tirelessly works to defend the forests of the state jointly won the award with Seno Tsuhah from Nagaland who works for community conservation and gender justice.
Based in Seijosa, Pakke-Kessang district adjacent to the Pakke Tiger Reserve and Sanctuary, Tara has been fighting a solitary battle against illegal felling of trees within the forest and has actively protested construction of dams and the East-West industrial corridor through the forest region. Besides filing a case with the National Green Tribunal in 2015, he is actively engaged in efforts to end illegal activities in the state’s forests. Joint awardee Seno is a farmer and a primary school teacher-cum-community development worker based in Chizami village in Phek district of Nagaland.
This year’s Annual Balipara Foundation Awards jointly went to Trinity Saioo from in Meghalaya and the Association for Environmental Preservation, Mizoram, for the works in organic farming and conservation action for wildlife respectively. From a modest start in 2003 with 25 women farmers,
Saioo’s SHG has now grown to around 800 women farmers, all of whom farm organically and cultivate the Lakadong turmeric. The Association for Environmental Preservation has been working towards creating awareness and taking action towards wildlife and biodiversity conservation.
The Eastern Himalayan Conservation Award went to Sangti Wanmai Konak, a social worker, conservationist and filmmaker from Nagaland for his contributions in biodiversity conservation and documentation. His negotiations with the Nagaland government were critical in getting a law passed which banned hunting between April and September. The Green Guru Awards went to Nosang Limboo from Sikkim who champions the cause of butterflies through his photography and writing and to Akshar Foundation, whose model of ‘meta-teaching’ has received UN recognition. The Food for the Future Award was given to Parimal Das of Tripura for organic dragon fruit plantation. The Nature Conservancy Award went to Arannayk Foundation, Bangladesh for works in habitat restoration, climate mitigation and natural resource management.
Meanwhile, from this year, Balipara Foundation launched two Lifetime Service Awards and this year’s international award went to Tin Tin Saw from Myanmar who started community forestry in her village to stop illegal logging and mining. The national Lifetime Service Award went to Dr. Parimal Chandra Bhattacharjee, a respected academic and retired Professor of Gauhati University who pioneered multiple wetland, primatology and biodiversity studies across the Northeast region. Renowned historian and author, Rudrangshu Mukherjee delivered the 8th Rabindranath Barthakur Memorial Lecture taking a historical view on this year’s theme of the forum ‘Ecology is Economy’.
Balipara Foundation founder Ranjit Barthakur highlighted the urgent need of concerted activities from the inspired changemakers across the NE region for galvanizing action towards realising the theme ‘Ecology is Economy’. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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