Around 400 ecologists raise concerns over Forest Conservation Amendment Bill 2023

New Delhi: Raising concerns over the “Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023” around 400 ecologists have written to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and urged him to not be tabled bill in Parliament without additional consultations with domain experts.

They have written to Bhupendra Yadav a day ahead Monsoon session of parliament, where the government has decided to table the “Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023.

In the letter they have sought more time to submit objections to the joint committee of Parliament studying the draft legislation. Public feedback on the proposed legislation ended on May 18.

According to Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, an area of land can be exempted from the legal framework for a quick accomplishment of any political- and security- related projects that are of national interest.

This year during the Budget Session, the Forest Conservation (Amendment Bill), 2023 was introduced in Parliament. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) approved the report on the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 on July 11.

This means that the amendments in Forest Conservation Act of 1980 have been approved. When the Central government had circulated the proposal note on the Bill in October 2021 for public comments, it had garnered around 5,000 responses.

“As the devastating impacts of climate change and environmental degradation become clearer, highlighted in the recent floods across north India, this is the time for the government to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the country’s immense biodiversity,” said the letter.

The letter said, “Doing so will require strengthening forest protection laws and the rights of indigenous peoples to own and manage their lands. This Amendment will only seek to hasten the decline of India’s natural forests”.

“We strongly believe that the present Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 along with the judgment in the Supreme Court order in WP 202/9 together provide a strong basis for the protection of natural ecosystems, and require better and effective implementation,” they said.

The full text of letter can be seen below:-

Shri Bhupendra Yadav
Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change

Dear Shri Yadav,

We do hope this letter finds you well.

We are writing to you as ecologists and conservationists, who have spent decades working to research and conserve India’s ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. We also include research scholars and students who are beginning their careers in the field.

Each of us is deeply concerned about the state of India’s ecological security, given the current data in the public domain. Only 21% of India’s land area has forests, and only 12.37% of this is intact natural forest (very dense and moderately dense forest). Further, while the Forest Survey of India has shown a marginal increase in forest cover of 2261 sq. km during the last two years, it has been proven by domain experts that this hides a pattern of deforestation in some parts of the country. For instance, the most biodiversity-rich part of the country, the northeastern hill states, show a net decline of 3199 sq. km of forest cover from 2009 to 2019. Further, field surveys show that much of even this marginal increase in forest cover can be ascribed to commercial plantations, forest fragments and urban parks, which, in no way, can replace the ecological functions performed by intact natural forests.

Given this already fragile state of India’s forests, and based on our diverse experiences from the ground, we have serious concerns regarding the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023, that has recently passed through the Joint Parliamentary Committee. In fact, one could argue that this is not just an Amendment but an entirely new Act. Numerous organisations have provided submissions during the consultation phase and their concerns seem to have been ignored. We are writing to highlight again the many issues in the Bill and to urge our MPs and ministers to reconsider this move. We strongly believe that the present Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 along with the judgment in the Supreme Court order in WP 202/9 together provide a strong basis for the protection of natural ecosystems, and require better and effective implementation.

We outline our concerns with the Bill below:

(1) Reclassification of forest areas

The new Section 1A, Sub-Section 1 adds confusion regarding the classification of forests in the country, stating that the FCA will only apply to areas recorded as forest in government records, as on or after 25 October, 1980. This has raised legitimate fears that the Amendment will invalidate the Supreme Court’s 1996 judgment in T.N. Godavarman vs Union of India in which the court interpreted the meaning of forest as its dictionary definition, expanding the purview of the FCA.

If these areas are declassified, it will mean that thousands of square kilometres of forests will lose protection overnight. In fact, the Forest Survey of India’s latest report, India State of Forest Report 2021, states that while 5,16,630 sq. km of the forests are within Recorded Forest Areas, 1,97,159 sq. km of forests lie outside Recorded Forest Areas. This implies that out of a total of 7,13,789 sq. km of forests of India identified by FSI, 1,97,159 sq. km of forests (27.62% of our forests) will lose all protection.

Through much of our work, we have seen that these forests are extremely biodiverse and are vital habitats for thousands of nonhuman species. Areas such as the Aravalli forests, which will lose protection are a vital green lung for northern India and provide refuge to hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians, apart from serving critical hydrological and climatic modulation for the entire Delhi NCR. Innumerable examples can be given of the ecological necessity of maintaining at least 23% of India’s land area under forests, as enshrined in the Directive Principles of State Policy.

(2) Exemptions for projects near border areas and for security purposes

The Amendment will remove the necessity of forest clearances for security-related infrastructure within 100 km of international borders. These areas are home to the most ecologically important ecosystems in the country, including the forests of northeast India, the high altitude deserts of Ladakh and Spiti, the alpine forests of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and the open scrub and desert ecosystems of west India. Other security-related infrastructure in different parts of the country is also exempted from forest clearances, which means that every part of the country could be impacted by military infrastructure. However, the need for fast-tracking should not imply the complete elimination of the need for appraisal.

While ensuring the military security of the country is a priority, it should not come at the cost of losing our ecological security. These natural ecosystems play a crucial role in buffering against increasingly unpredictable weather patterns caused by climate change. Their loss will result in greater displacement and heightened internal security risks. The recent floods in the Western Himalayas have shown that areas heavily disturbed and fragmented by infrastructure development have experienced the most destruction of property due to landslides.

(3) Exemptions for zoos, safari parks and ecotourism activities

As should be obvious, a zoo or safari park and a forest cannot be equated. One is a thriving ecosystem, interconnected in thousands of ways, many of which we are still only learning about. The other, a zoo, can be a place for ex-situ conservation or education but can never be a replacement for the former. The aim should be to construct world-leading conservation centres in addition to giving our natural ecosystems the protection they need. Eco-tourism is also an important ancillary activity to generate employment, but exempting it from clearances will mean that tourism will overtake nature. There is enough evidence that ecotourism projects often encourage large-scale construction, which is detrimental to natural ecosystems and biodiversity.

Section 2 of the Amendment also states that the Central government may exempt clearance for ‘any other purposes, which the Central Government may, by order, specify.’ This could open the door to a whole host of ancillary activities on forest land that will no longer require clearances.

(4) Riding roughshod on local human communities

Exempting such a large number of projects from the clearance process will mean that forest- dwelling people will no longer be consulted. This is an extremely important way that forest- dwelling people are given a voice. The Scheduled Tribes And Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, has made it mandatory to get free, prior and informed consent of local communities through their gram sabhas, a right that they have won over years of struggle. It is likely that this proposed Amendment to FCA will ride roughshod over the rights of forest-dwelling tribals and other people.

As has been pointed out before in
some representations, it is also not clear as to whether there has been any consultation with the National Commission on Scheduled Tribes by the Union Government under Article 338 of the Constitution, as it mandates that the Union and every State Government shall consult the Commission on all major policy matters affecting Scheduled Tribes. Many of the proposed Amendments in the Bill [Section 1A (1)(b) and Section 1A (2)] adversely affect the protection accorded to Scheduled Tribes (“STs”) and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (“OTFDs”) under the FRA because if the land falls outside the scope of the FCA, it effectively eliminates the requirement of obtaining consent from the Gram Sabha for diversion of that land.

As the devastating impacts of climate change and environmental degradation become clearer, highlighted in the recent floods across north India, this is the time for the government to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the country’s immense biodiversity. Doing so will require strengthening forest protection laws and the rights of indigenous peoples to own and manage their lands. This Amendment will only seek to hasten the decline of India’s natural forests.

For these reasons, and those described above, we urge that this Amendment Bill not be tabled in Parliament without additional consultations with domain experts. An extension of time for submitting objections to the JPC and further discussions is essential.

Thanking you sincerely for your attention and consideration, and with our warm regards,

1. Dr Anindya Sinha, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
2. Dr R Ganesan, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore, India
3. Dr Nandini Velho, PhD, ORA India Fellow
4. Dr Aparajita Datta, Nature Conservation Foundation
5. Dr Charudutt Mishra, Senior Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation
6. Dr Ravi Chellam, Metastring Foundation & Biodiversity Collaborative, Bengaluru
7. Dr Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi, Scientist, Snow Leopard Trust and Nature Conservation Foundation
8. Dr Sharachchandra Lele, Scientist, ATREE, Bengaluru
9. Dr Ghazala Shahabuddin, Senior Adjunct Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
10. Dr M. D. Madhusudan, co-founder Nature Conservation Foundation and Independent Researcher
11. Dr Vinod Saranathan, Associate Professor, Krea University
12. Dr Anand Osuri, Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation
13. Dr Asmita Sengupta, Fellow, SM Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
14. Dr Ankila Hiremath, Senior Adjunct Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
15. Dr Pia Sethi, Senior Fellow, Centre for Ecology, Development and Research
16. Dr Rajesh Thadani, Forest ecologist
17. Dr T. Ganesh, Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
18. Dr Divya Mudappa, Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation
19. Dr Rohan Arthur,, Senior Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation
20. Dr Prachi Mehta, Senior Scientist and Director, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society (WRCS), Pune
21. Dr Saloni Bhatia, Conservation Anthropologist
22. Dr Anjali Bharthari, conservationist, Uttarakhand
23. Dr Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan, Senior Fellow, Ashoka trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore.
24. Dr T. R. Shankar Raman, Senior Scientist, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysuru
25. Prof. Savithri Singh, Retired Principal, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi
26. Dr R. Narendran, Mangrove Restoration Ecologist, Kannur Kandal Project, Wildlife Trust of India
27. Dr Anushka Rege, Research Fellow, National University of Singapore & World Economic Forum Geneva
28. Dr Asad Rahmani, Former Director, Bombay Natural History Society
29. Dr Divya Karnad, Foundation for Ecological Research and Learning (FERAL), Tamil Nadu
30. Dr Rishi Kumar, Independent Wildlife Researcher
31. Dr Anand Krishnamurthy, Ecologist and Scientist
32. Dr Ajith Kumar, ex-Director, MSc Programme (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation), NCBS
33. Dr Amitabha Chattopadhyay, Ex Senior Principal Scientists. CSIR-CIMAP, Lucknow
34. Dr P U Antoney, Founder, Green Army-Christ University and Forest Watch-Wayanad
35. Dr Suman Jumani, Postdoctoral Fellow, Network for Engineering With Nature
36. Dr Ashwini V. Mohan, PhD, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
37. Dr T J Renuka Prasad, Professor of Geology and Coordinator of Biopark, Bangalore University
38. Dr Sonika Kushwaha, President-Indian Biodiversity Conservation Society, Jhansi-Uttar Pradesh
39. Dr Akhilesh Kumar,Secretary, Indian Biodiversity Conservation Society, Uttar Pradesh
40. Dr Priya Tamma, Azim Premji University
41. Siddharth Agarwal, Founder, Veditum India Foundation
42. Dr Marianne Furtado de Nazareth
43. Dr Anita Malhotra, Bangor University
44. Rajeswari BT, Research Assistant, Nature Conservation Foundation
45. Al Badush, Senior Research Assistant, Nature Conservation Foundation
46. Neema Pathak Broome, Kalpavriksh, Pune
47. Vasudha Varadarajan, Researcher, Kalpavriksh, Pune
48. Dr Yuvaraj Ranganathan, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka
49. Monica Harpalani, Researcher, Biopsychology Lab, University of Mysore
50. Abhishek Jamalabad, The Habitats Trust
51. Dr Rohini Dharmapal, Professor
52. Dr Yamini Gupt, Professor, Department of Finance and Business Economics, University of Delhi.
53. Dr Sambita Modak, PhD, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
54. Dr Monika Raghuvanshi, District Co-ordinator-Bikaner, Indian Biodiversity Conservation Society-Rajasthan, India
55. Munib Khanyari, Program Manager, Nature Conservation Foundation
56. Ganesh Raghunathan, Nature Conservation Foundation
57. Farai Divan Patel, Ecologist, The Habitats Trust
58. Marishia Rodrigues, Independent Ecologist and Scientific Advisor
59. Parag Rangnekar, Foundation for Environment Research and Conservation
60. Sohail Madan, Ecologist, Delhi
61. Chintan Sheth, Scientist
62. Debadityo Sinha, Lead- Climate & Ecosystems, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy
63. Rohit R.S. Jha, Senior Researcher, Wildlife Institute of India
64. Diya Banerjee, Conservationist and ecologist, Director, UTTARAYAN Wildlife
65. Aparna Krishnan, Research Scholar, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
66. Raza Kazmi, Independent Researcher and Wildlife Historian, Ranchi, Jharkhand
67. Devathi Parashuram, Executive Editor, Current Conservation, Bangalore
68. Ramnarayan K , Ecologist, Natural History Educator, Uttarakhand
69. Imran Samad, Research Scholar, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc
70. Divyashree Rana, Research scholar, National Centre for Biological Sciences
71. Sankarshan Rastogi, Research Scholar, Czech University m Life Sciences
72. Ishika Ramakrishna, Doctoral Fellow, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bangalore
73. Aravind Sridharan, PhD Candidate, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc
74. Sumashini P S, ecologist & PhD student, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
75. Swapna Nelaballi, Doctoral Student, University of Michigan
76. Bushra Barkati, Senior Research Fellow, University of Delhi
77. Tiasa Adhya, Trans-disciplinary University, Bangalore
78. Wenzel Pinto, Research assistant, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore
79. Rohit Nandakumar, Ecologist, Dusty Foot Foundation, New Delhi
80. Rachana Rao, Research fellow, Nature Conservation Foundation
81. Tarun Menon, PhD Student, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
82. Ritobroto Chanda, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
83. Akshay Bharadwaj, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
84. Abhin M Sunil, PhD. Scholar, dept. Of Wildlife Sciences, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University
85. Vallari Sheel, Ecologist, New Delhi and PhD candidate, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, USA
86. Ankita Saha, PhD Research Scholar, Tezpur University
87. Shishir Rao, PhD Candidate, University of Georgia
88. Tikily Tayeng, JRF, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
89. Tista Ghosh, Research Associate, CES, IISC
90. Anisha Mandal, PhD student, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
91. Anweshan Patra, PhD Student,C.A.S. in Marine Biology, Annamalai University
92. Deepronil Roy, PhD Student, Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Tezpur University
93. Jagadishakumara B, Researcher, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Bangalore, Karnataka.
94. Vikram Hiresavi, Trustee, Conservation India
95. Gopakumar Menon, Founder, River Otter Conservancy
96. Jayant Kulkarni, Senior Conservationist and Director, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society (WRCS), Pune
97. Purva Variyar, Wildlife Conservation Trust
98. A.P Madhavan, Researcher, Nature Conservation Foundation, Valparai
99. Akanksha Sood, Founder – The Gaia People
100. Cara Tejpal, Sanctuary Nature Foundation
101. Gayatri Bakhale, Research Biologist, Wildlife Institute of India
102. Poornima Viswanathan, Entomologist, Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS), Kozhikode, Kerala.
103. Kasturi Saha, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
104. Somil Daga, Park Director, Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
105. Pritika M, Director, Foundation for Intersectional Climate and Urban Sciences (FICUS), Chennai
106. Sutanuka Deb, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Project Manager Meghalaya
107. Ankit Das, Co-Founder & Trustee, Jeevan Shiksha (Assam)
108. Arjun Singh, Project Manager, Nature Conservation Foundation
109. Amir Kumar Chhetri, Forest Villager and Fellow, Coexistence Consortium
110. Arjun Kamdar, conservation scientist, Assam
111. Neema Pathak Broome, Kalpavriksh, Pune
112. Shree Varsha, Research Associate, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore
113. PriyankaDas,Fellow,CoexistenceConsortium
114. Ryan S, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bangalore
115. Sujan Chatterjee, secretary Birdwatchers’ Society, West Bengal
116. Akshay Surendra, Ecologist
117. Somil Daga,Park Director, Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
118. Pritika M, Director, Foundation for Intersectional Climate and Urban Sciences (FICUS), Chennai
119. Sutanuka Deb, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Projec tManager Meghalaya
120. Abdul Majid Attar, Founder Kashmir Conservancy Movement
121. Rakesh Kalva, Independent Researcher
122. Iravatee Majgaonkar, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru
123. Abhishek Gopal, PhD candidate, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
124. Sunil Harsana, Fellow, Coexistence Consortium
125. Anuja Mital, PhD student, University of Georgia
126. S. Das, Independent Researcher, Biological Sciences
127. Sayee Girdhari, Nature Conservation Foundation
128. Anuj Suresh Borkhataria, BNHS Candidate, Biodiversity Conservation
129. Amarjeet Kaur, Senior Research Affiliate-NMSHE, DST-Inspire PhD Fellow, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
130. Femi E Benny, PhD Candidate, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore
131. Dayani Chakravarthy, Ecologist, Graduate Student, National Centre for Biological Sciences
132. Mr. Satish Majge, PhD student, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
133. Shantanu Joshi, Wildlife Researcher and PhD Student, University of Arkansas, USA
134. Gunjan Menon, Director, Beyond Premieres
135. Sasi Gopal Menon, Vedatya Institute, Gurgaon
136. Alka Arora, Retired Government Officer
137. Binay Aswal, Post-Graduate, IIT Bombay
138. Ashraf Shaikh, MSc Wildlife Student, National Centre for Biological Sciences
139. Ulhas Anand, Birdwatcher and Nature Educator
140. Suhas LS, Green army and CHRISTITES FOR CLIMATE ACTION, Christ University
141. Keerthana Ramesh M ,Green Army, Christ University
142. Suryaansh Kulshreshtha, Christites For Climate Action
143. B M Ganesh Chinmai, Student, Trinity College Dublin
144. Deepa Mohan, Wildlife Volunteer, Bangalore
145. M. K. Darshan, student, MIT-WPU
146. Devika. KM, Alumna, Christ University, Banglaore
147. Varada Prasad Varier, Student, Pondicherry University, Puducherry
148. R. Yashaswini, Green Army, Christ University Bangalore
149. Saba Fathima, Student, Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru.
150. Ahmad Abdul Qadir Bukhari, Analyst, Zifo RnD Solutions, Chennai & Green Army, Bangalore
151. Parithossh R, Master’s student, SASTRA University
152. Divyajyoti Ganguly, MSc., National Centre for Biological Sciences
153. Shubham Gupta S, MSc Zoology, Green Army, Madhya Pradesh
154. Prarthana A, Student, SASTRA Deemed University
155. Guruprasad K. R,Bird watcher, Bangalore
156. Vivek shukla, Pondicherry University
157. Anushka Chaturvedi, Student, Gujarat University
158. Arth Vora, Forest Watch – Wayanad
159. Karnika Palwa, Independent researcher- Climate Change
160. Subikksha.S, Student, Pondicherry University
161. Anshita Das, Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research, Pune.
162. Rubina Rajan, Program Officer, Sacred Earth Trust
163. Madhuvanthi R S, MSc Student, Pondicherry University
164. Roseanne Mascarenhas, CHRIST University, Bangalore
165. Gurumurthi Hegde., UG Student, College of Forestry, Sirsi, Karnataka
166. Puviarasan, Student, Pondicherry University, Puducherry
167. Mansi Dhingra, National Centre for Biological Sciences
168. Mujawar., UG Student, College of Forestry, Sirsi, Karnataka
169. Rohith C N, UG Student, College of Forestry, Sirsi, Karnataka.
170. Rahul Kumar, Bihar Paryawaran Sanrakshan Abhiyan (BIPSA), Nalanda, Bihar
171. Chandrawali Goyal, MSc. student, Central University of Gujarat
172. Pooja Rathod, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
173. Derrick Daniel, UG student, SASTRA Deemed University
174. Niranjana C, Research Associate, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
175. Jagriti Murarka, student, VIT University
176. Omkar Jois, student, PES University
177. Pavan Kalyan K V , PG-Environmental Sciendes , Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
178. Tejasvini Naik, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad
179. Noel Joseph Saji, Delhi Technological University
180. Soumya Ranjan Mallick, MA Environmental Studies, University of Delhi
181. Megha Suswaram, PhD, Theoretical Evolution, University of California, Merced
182. Aarav Saha, The Northcap University
183. Muhammad Badruddin Umar, Student, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli
184. Agnishikhe M A, Student, Green Army
185. Zabiulla Baig, College of Forestry, Sirsi
186. Harshit Singh, BSc. Zoology, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
187. Jinesh Kankaria, student of Christ University Bangalore (CCA)
188. Swastik Pritam Padhy, Independent Researcher
189. Sumesh, Independent Scientist
190. Chetana Purushotham, Alumnus, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
191. Purushothama, Vice President, KSGEA, Kolar District
192. Prasanna Nagarajan, UG student, Hindusthan College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore
193. Sreeramkumar S K, PG in BIOCHEMISTRY, Bharathidasan University, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
194. Assumpta Lobo-Desai, Freelance artist and designer, Bangalore, Karnataka
195. Vijay Ramnath, Citizen Environmentalist & Climate Change Activist
196. Pranav Capila, Independent Writer & Editor, New Delhi
197. Anurag Joshi, Project Manager, Valtech, Bangalore
198. Shrinivas Badiger, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru
199. Padmakumar MM, academician, Bangalore
200. Dipti Arora, fellow, Coexistence Consortium
201. Ritu- Ngapnon, The Himalayan Rilung Foundation
202. Kobita Dass Kolli, Independent researcher, Nature Lovers of Hyderabad
203. Ramesh Nandwana, jungal jameen jan Andolan, Udaipur
204. Harsh Singh Lohit, Chirag Foundation, Delhi
205. Divya Goel TERI SAS Delhi
206. Rimung Tasso, Conservation Biologist, Arunachal Pradesh
207. Rounak Patra, Independent Researcher, Birdwatcher’s Society, West Bengal
208. Sudip Ghosh, founder, Rabindra Sarobor Bio-Diversity forum, Kolkata, West Bengal.
209. Saptarshi Mukherjee, Secretary, Wild Tuskers, Asansol, West Bengal
210. Santanu Manna, founder member, Birdwatchers’ Society, Kolkata, West Bengal
211. Anirban Saha, Bird Watchers Society, Kolkata, West Bengal | Data Scientist.
212. Saikat Adhurya, President, Durgapur Wildlife Information and Nature Guide Society, West Bengal
213. Swebert D Silva. Pro chancellor. St Joseph’s University. Bengaluru
214. Rohan R, Independent Researcher
215. Fathima Aslaha T R, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati
216. Gaurav Shirodkar, Last Wilderness Foundation
217. Priyanjana Pramanik, Independent Researcher
218. Dr Nelum Wickramasinghe, External Consultant, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore
219. Sommouli Sarkar, Professional Photographer and Software Consultant, Kolkata, West Bengal
220. Dr Pradeep Kumar Sen, Birdwatchers Society, Kolkata, West Bengal
221. Prof Raghuvir Pai AMSI Manipal
222. S Chowdhury, PUBLIC, Kolkata
223. Bibaswan Sarkar, Member, Birdwatchers’ Society, Kolkata
224. Harshita Prakash, Independent Researcher, Patna, Bihar
225. Lalita Deonalli, climate activist
226. Vihaan Vee, Climate Campaigner
227. Somnath Chakraborty, Student, Birdwatcher, English and Foreign Languages University
228. Sandeep Chakraborty, Member, Human & Environment Alliance League (HEAL), Kolkata, West Bengal
229. Arjan Basu Roy, Secretary, Nature Mates Nature Club, Kolkata
230. Arun Kumar Pujari, College of Forestry, Sirsi
231. Kiran C A College of Forestry, Sirsi
232. Mousumi Dutta, Member, Birdwatchers’ Society, West Bengal. Gosayya, College of Forestry,Sirsi
233. Natasha Ashok, Communications Associate, Wildlife SOS
234. Aparajita, Intern, CTBC
235. Simon Peter, Research Scholar, English and Foreign Languages University
236. R. Sriram, Placement Manager, ATREE, Bengaluru
237. Shahana V, M.Sc.Biochemistry, Bharathidhasan University, Trichy, Tamil Nadu
238. Ginni Singh, TERI School of Advanced Studies
239. J Merlin, Student Sathyamaba University
240. Maya Sarkar, Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
241. Prathapchandra Kedilaya, President, ‘We The People’ Association, Mangaluru/Dakshina Kannad District, Karnataka
242. Anuviya Anbuselvam, Outreach Education Coordinator, Pitchandikulam Forest, Chennai and Auroville, Tamil Nadu
243. Gauraangi Raghav, Green Army, Christ University, Bengaluru
244. Sonali Umanath, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore
245. Sayanta Basak , Birdwatchers Society, Malda, West Bengal
246. Dhanya Bharath, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern
247. Nandan Saxena, Environment Filmmaker- Mumbai
248. Kavita Bahl, Environmental Filmmaker – Mumbai
249. Kanika Aggarwal, Research Scholar, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc
250. Mithun Doresh H D, UG Student, College of Forestry, Sirsi
251. K. Mohan, Independent Researcher
252. S. Sangeeth Sailas, PhD Student, University of South Bohemia.
253. Poushali Ghosh, M.Sc. student, TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi
254. Ananda Shikhara Bhat, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune
255. Rohit M, Project Living Cities
256. Namrata Tiwari, Research associate, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
257. Ayush Anand, EFLU, Hyderabad
258. Kasthuri Shanmuganathan, M. Sc. Biotechnology, Christ University, Bangalore.
259. Ankit Vohra, Member of Delhi Bird Foundation.
260. Sharanjeet Kour, Zoologist
261. Roshan naik, College of Forestry, Sirsi
262. Karthik, Dr Richhariya In-situ Rice Seed Centre
263. Prajwal M.B, College of Forestry, Sirsi
264. Anwesha Saha, PhD. Student, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences; Centre for New Technologies (CeNT) , University of Warsaw, Poland
265. Renukaraj P Choudaki, Student, College of Forestry, Sirsi
266. Ritwick Bhattacharyya, M.Sc ( Agril. Statistics), Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, West Bengal
267. Anubhab Khan, Research Associate, National Centre for Biological Sciences
268. Bonani Kakkar, People United for Better Living in Calcutta, PUBLIC
269. Nilanjan Mishra, Researcher and Co-founder, Patharpratima Runners, Sundarban
270. Dr Anirban Bhaduri, Birdwatchers’ Society, Kolkata
271. Praveen Singh, Natural History Filmmaker
272. Pritam Chhetri, Project student, CSIR IHBT
273. Navin Agarwak, Member of Birdwatchers Society, Kolkata
274. Fayiz, Student, IISER Mohali
275. Pradnya Karulkar, Prakriti Sanrachna
276. Ashwini K Bhat, Parisara Balaga, Mangalore, Karnataka
277. Brian Lobo, Bird Watchers Society, Kolkata
278. Ningaraj B B UG Student, College Of Forestry, Sirsi
279. T P Prabhakar, Wildlife & Birding Naturalist, Bengaluru
280. Saptarshi Biswas, MSc in Coastal Aquaculture(2021-2023).Annamalai University
281. Manjunath Bapuji, Bird watchers society, Bangalore
282. Srihitha Veeranna, MSc. Environmental Studies, TERI SAS, Delhi
283. Batul Pipewala, Bird Watchers Society, Kolkata
284. Susmita Basu, member, Bird Watchers Society, Kolkata
285. Anmol Ohri, Director, Climate Front Foundation
286. Amitesh Gupta, BS-MS Student, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali
287. Tanveen Randhawa, PhD Student, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
288. Smriti Saini, Graduate Student, Harvard University
289. Shailesh Telang, M.Sc. Forest Research Institute (FRI) University, Dehradun
290. Hansu Pardiwala, Founder, Har Ghar Hara Ghar, Mumbai
291. Diya sharma,Christites For Climate 4 Action
292. S.Santhosh Narayan, Advocate, Bengaluru.
293. Chetan Agarwal, policy analyst, forest & environment
294. Gayatri Chatterjee, Visiting Professor, Pune
295. Sanjeev Jagtap, Ecologist and Head – Ex situ flora conservation program, Green Hills Group, Pune.
296. Madhuri Mandava, Paani.Earth
297. Prof. Ninoschka Pinto, Nirmala Institute of Education, Althinho, Goa
298. Surendra Singh, Indian Army Veteran And Founder of GrowBillionTrees.com
299. Mandira sharma , Earthsong in Conservation
300. Satabdi Mandal, BS-MS, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc
301. Mabel Menezes, Goa Bird Conservation Network Member
302. Amatya Sharma, The Niche, Bangalore
303. Alok Hisarwala Gupta, Centre for Research on Animal Rights
304. Bindu K, Master’s student, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
305. Komal Potdar, Conservation Architect, Pune
306. Ajay Phatak, Trustee, the Ecological Society, Pune
307. Adwait Deshpande,Postdoc, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany and The Grasslands Trusts, Pune
308. Dr Amitava Aich, Independent Researcher, Biodiversity, Ecology,Climate Change
309. Shraddha Sawant, Senior Sustainability Analyst, Two Oceans Strategy
310. Avinash Kubal, retired forest officer and ecological expert
311. Dona Abraham, Pondicherry University
312. Uzdah Jawaid, University of Manchester
313. Harsh, Climate Change and Sustainability Consultant, BDO
314. Divyaa Kohli, Student, Imperial College, London
315. Jahnavi Sharma, Independent Researcher
316. Ketaki Patil, Ecostepz
317. Krishna Joshi, Christites for Climate Action
318. Saviona Mauras, Alumnus, Christ University, Bangalore
319. Deepthi Sreeja, Christites for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
320. Mareena Mons, Green Army, Christ University
321. Akshara, Christite for climate action,Christ University, Bangalore
322. Sameer Singh (TagBox Solutions)
323. Darshan, Christite for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
324. JahnaChivukala , CHRIST University
325. Aekamroop Singh, Christities for Climate Action, Christ University
326. Gopal Raj V, Christites for Climate Action
327. Syeeda Farheen Green Army Christ University
328. Ashmita Hota, Christites for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
329. Ksheerja Arora- Christites for Climate Action (CCA)
330. Anju John, Green Army, Christ University Bangalore
331. Aivya Jain, Christites for Climate Change & Eco-Diversity Cell, Christ University Bangalore
332. Adithi V, Christites for Climate Action
333. Aaditya R, Christites for climate action
334. Hafsa buchh, Christites for climate action.
335. Preethika D, Christites for Climate Action
336. Siddhi Jaishankar, Nature Conservation Foundation
337. Shivika, Christities for Climate Action.
338. Anushree Kolte, christites for climate action
339. Mihika Bhattacharya, Christites For Climate Action
340. Sargun Singh,Christites for Climate Action
341. Manandi Sritha Suman,
342. Sandeep Sharma, Christites For Climate Action.
343. Puneeth H J, Christites For Climate Action
344. Sumedha Jain, Christites for Climate Action
345. Vaishnavi G, Christites for Climate Action
346. Mudit Lunia, Christites for Climate Action
347. Abhay Sarawagi, Christies for Climate action
348. Mahika Gajra, Christites for Climate Action
349. Himanshu Sharma, Msc. Student – Department of Zoology, University of Delhi
350. Ankita Chakraborty, Christites for Climate Action
351. Tanishka Rajgariah, Christites for Climate Action
352. Sayali Joshi, Green Army, Christ University Bangalore
353. Zaid Manzoor, Christites for Climate Action
354. Johny Joy, Green Army, Christ University
355. Kavyashree A, Christites for Climate Action
356. Sandeep Sharma, Faculty, School of Still Photography, AAFT, Noida
357. Nandini Bhatia, Christites For Climate Action
358. Muhammad Thaj Muhyideen Gani, Correspondent, Erode
359. Prakruthi Y K, Christites for Climate Action
360. Naveen aggarwal,Christites for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
361. Bianca F, Mount Carmel College, Autonomous
362. Albin E James, Christites for Climate Action
363. Samarth N Kedilaya, Christ university.
364. Blu Monis, Christites for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
365. Kushal Jain, Christites for climate action
366. Rucha Upadhyaya, Christites for Climate Action, Christ University, Bengaluru
367. Kashvi Singh Das, Student, Christ University, Bengaluru, India
368. Parth Tewari, Grad Student, University of Glasgow, Scotland
369. Shivangi Barik, Green Army, Christ University, Bangalore
370. Aniket jain, Green Army, Christ University, Bangalore
371. Souvik Mitra, Student, Christ University, Bangalore
372. Pratyusha Dobhal, CHRISTITES FOR CLIMATE ACTION, Christ University, Bangalore
373. Tushar Kumar Jain, Alumnus, Christ University
374. Ayush Menon,Student,Christ University,Bengaluru,India.
375. Prerana A, Christ University, Bangalore
376. Pala Adithyan, Green Army, Christ University, Bangalore.
377. Apurva , Christ University Central Campus, Bangalore
378. Hansika Navin Sah, Christites for Climate Action
379. Ashika Shetty, Christ University, Bangalore
380. Devanshi Gupta, Christites for Climate action, Bangalore
381. Shivani BV, PG student, Christ University, Bangalore.
382. Dr Vijayalaya Srinivas, Green Army, Christ University, Bangalore.
383. Lalrintluanga, Green Army, CHRIST University
384. Anshika Vidhani, UG student, Christ University, Bangalore
385. Dharshana Raj, Green Army, Christ University, Bangalore
386. Mannat Gureja, Christites For Climate Action
387. Abinash B MSc forensic science Christ university
388. Agamjot Kaur Dua, Christites for Climate Action
389. Nayanthara Giridhar, Christ University, Banglore
390. Vaibhav Mishra, Christ University, Bangalore
391. Mohammad Makda,Christite for Climate action
392. Diksha, Christ university, Bangalore
393. Divyansh Surana,Christite for Climate action
394. Trina, BA PSENG, Christ University, Bangalore
395. Aditya Kashwani, Christites for Climate Action, Christ University
396. Madhav Bagaria, Christite for climate change
397. Atharva Shidhore, Christ University, Bangalore
398. Subhiksha C, Christ University, Bangalore
399. Steewa Maria Philip, Christites for Climate Action
400. Aarohi Rani Christite For Climate Action
401. Kushagra Agrawal (Christites for Climate Action)
402. Tanishka Singh, Christities for Climate Action, Christ University, Bangalore
403. Muskan Bhatiya ,Christites for Climate Action
404. Samaksh sharma , Christites for climate action
405. Bhaveesh V Shetty, Green army, Christ (Deemed to be University), Bangalore
406. Shreya Rajeeva, Alumnus, Christ University
407. Prateem Rohanekar, Independent Lawyer, Pune
408. Kiran Renu Naik, College of Forestry, Sirsi
409. Ashish Nambiar, PhD Student, Indiana University – Bloomington
410. Gauri Saini, MSc Biotechnology graduate, Christ (deemed to be university), Bengaluru
411. Arati Mhaskar, Conservationist, Research and create Documentary for Jeevitnadi – A Living River Organisation, Pune
412. Parul Gupta, Advocate and Advisor Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation.
413. Dr Sangita Joag – ES Pune
414. Clara Vaz, GFPK, Conservationist
415. Shagun Singh, Trustee – Geeli Mitti Foundation. Director – Geeli Mitti CoE for Sustainable Living and Habitats. Founder – Tuk Tuk Gilhari animal sanctuary.
416. Dr Madhukar Bachulkar. Kolhhapur.maharashtra.Botanist.
417. Nauras Indori, Student, Naturalist