We are pleased to announce that the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) has won the prestigious UNDP Mahatma Award for Biodiversity 2023.
WCT bagged this coveted award because of the success of its flagship ‘Heater of Hope’ project, which involves the deployment of an energy-efficient, biomass-fueled water heater in thousands of households situated within the tiger corridor to the east of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Additionally, the water heater is reducing the collection and use of firewood, thereby arresting forest degradation; the drudgery of women who carry firewood from the forest by headloads; and their exposure to harmful smoke from the traditional wood-fired stove. Now in 9,500 homes, the water heater is leading to firewood savings of at least 9,500 tonnes and a CO2 emission reduction of 15,200 tonnes annually.
WCT has been conducting tiger-monitoring studies in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra for nearly a decade. With insights from those studies, we have been able to unambiguously identify bottlenecks in wildlife corridors, and also the villages that have a high potential of negative interactions with tigers. Over the years, our ecological research in the landscape has laid the foundation for our community interventions. Our data has shown that most tiger attacks (nearly 40 people are killed by tigers in Chandrapur every year) on humans occur when people enter the forest to collect firewood. The frequency of attacks is higher in forest patches that are degraded due to man-made forest fires, livestock grazing, and firewood collection.
Adoption of cooking gas under government schemes has reduced firewood consumption in the landscape by 40 percent. But WCT’s intensive socio-economic surveys found that water heating (for bathing and general use) contributes significantly to firewood usage. Due to unaffordability, villagers do not use cooking gas for heating water, resulting in a continued dependence on firewood. To reduce the consumption of firewood, it was necessary to provide a viable and affordable alternative for heating water. This led to the development of an energy-efficient, biomass-fuelled water heater, locally called the Bumbb. WCT’s ‘Heater of Hope’ project is not just reducing firewood consumption, but also forest degradation, the drudgery of women and their exposure to harmful smoke, and above all, human-carnivore conflict.
The Mahatma Award, known as one of the highest honors globally, is a beacon of recognition for individuals and organisations that exhibit unwavering dedication and outstanding contributions to society. Named after the Father of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, this award transcends boundaries of race, religion, occupation, position, and gender, emphasising the inclusivity and universality of its mission. The award was founded and instituted by philanthropist Mr. Amit Sachdeva, known as ‘The CSR Man of India’, and is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Aditya Birla Group.
“Conservation is a complex sector that needs several constituencies to work in tandem. Hence, when a project that has utilised the collective strengths of ecology, social sciences, psychology, political will, community participation, communication strategy, and engineering, gets a recognition like this, it brings immense satisfaction and pleasure to everybody at WCT,” said WCT President Dr. Anish Andheria.
The research for the project and its pilot phase was funded by the HT Parekh Foundation. Since then, the project has been funded by KCT Group, BNP Paribas India, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Alkyl Amines Chemicals Ltd. The support of BNP Paribas India has been crucial in scaling up the project. We are grateful to all our donors.
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