The United Nations (un) has recognized Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil with the 2024 Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s most prestigious environmental honor.
- He was celebrated for his groundbreaking work in the Western Ghats, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot in India.
- Gadgil’s leadership of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), established by the Indian government, resulted in critical recommendations to protect the fragile region from unsustainable development, population pressures, and climate change.
Key Contributions:
- In 2011, the Gadgil Panel proposed declaring the entire Western Ghats an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), divided into three zones (ESZ 1, 2, and 3) based on environmental sensitivity.
- Recommended banning activities like mining, quarrying, new thermal power plants, hydropower projects, and large-scale wind energy projects in ESZ 1.
- Advocated for sustainable development while emphasizing community participation and environmental conservation.
- Despite facing resistance from state governments, industries, and some local communities, the panel’s work highlighted the urgent need for balancing development with ecological sustainability.
- The Western Ghats were later recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.
About Champions of the Earth Award:
- Established in 2005 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the award honors individuals and organizations advancing innovative and sustainable solutions to tackle the triple planetary crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
- The awards are conferred in four categories:
- Policy Leadership
- Inspiration and Action
- Entrepreneurial Vision
- Science and Innovation.
