When, while still a student, Bibhuti Lahkar began to take care of the conservation of the grasslands of Manas National Park, in north-eastern India, perhaps he did not imagine that he would have dedicated his entire life to that park and to that activity. With tenacity and constancy, day after day, Lahkar has worked to preserve the flora and fauna of Manas, to the point of earning prestigious international awards.
When, still a student, Bibhuti Lahkar he began to take care of the conservation of the grasslands of Manas National Park, in the north-east of India, perhaps he did not imagine that he would have dedicated his entire life to that park and to that activity. With tenacity and constancy, day after day, Lahkar worked to preserve the flora and fauna of Manas, until he earned prestigious international awards.
On 3 September, in fact, Lahkar was proclaimed "Heritage Hero 2016" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the international non-governmental organization that has been fighting for nature conservation and for the 'sustainable use of natural resources. Lahkar was the most voted on the web among the three finalists of the award, all characters selected by the jury for having distinguished themselves in activities and works to protect the environment and ecosystems in various countries around the world.
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Bibhuti Lahkar's adventure begins in 1999 when, while working on his doctoral thesis, he finds himself facing the issues related to the management of the Manas National Park, which at the time was in a state of almost abandonment, and, in particular, to the fate of the dwarf wild boar, an endangered species, widespread only in that particular area of the world. The then young student thus finds himself in the difficult position of elaborating a conservation strategy starting from nothing and having to build bonds not only with the staff of Manas, but also with local communities, deeply distrustful of strangers.
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"I wondered if my studies were useful to people." - He says today - “I managed to translate science for the benefit of ordinary people, explaining for example how to monitor fauna and vegetation. Some of these people are illiterate: this is one of the reasons that prompted me to engage with local communities. "
With no funds available, over the years the scientist has held dozens of public meetings in places where wildlife was particularly vulnerable, informing communities about the value of the park both as a natural heritage of all humanity and as a potential destination. from sustainable tourism. In this context, Lahkar taught hundreds of young people how to monitor wildlife and how to work as tour guides, achieving the dual purpose of increase the awareness of the population on the problem of environmental protection and provide disadvantaged people with the means of subsistence that would allow them to support their families.
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Similarly, the scientist intervened in favor of village womenby encouraging the formation of “self-help” groups in which they could learn a trade, for example dealing with food processing, weaving and fishing, in order to earn an income. Finally, he created and trained one team of employees made up of about 600 units, which also includes repentant ex-poachers, to monitor and protect the Park and the animals that inhabit it: not only dwarf wild boars, but also, among others, tigers, rhinos ed elephants.
"For twenty years, the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was believed to be in danger due to destruction due to human activities and over-exploitation of resources." - he tells again Lahkar - “Today, those same people [who were causing destruction, ed] come forward voluntarily to protect the Park. We need an increasing number of operators, so that future generations can see tigers and rhinos in real life, and not just in photos. "
Due to his tireless multi-year activity, capable of combining nature conservation and social solidarity, Bibhuti Lahkar can be considered a true hero of our times. Congratulations!
Lisa Vagnozzi
Photo credits
An Indian scientist won the 2016 Heritage Hero Award for nature conservation
