Sanctuary | Cover Story
150 committees of both central and
state governments, where his booming
voice has never been quelled by either
the sloth of bureaucracy, the greed of
unethical government employees, or
visionless politicians. His infl uence has
been expansive, and though today he
works almost exclusively in Rajasthan,
with the state government, he has been
instrumental in the revitalisation of other
parks such as Maharashtra’s beloved
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve.
Thapar has also been vocal in
eschewing the dogmatic view that all
tourism is bad tourism, and is a leading
proponent of innovative tourism that
can benefi t both parks and people. All
this, he fi rmly believes, is only possible by
knitting together a cross-sectoral group
of like-minded people including scientists,
activists, village leaders, forest offi cials,
bureaucrats, politicians and the free press.
Author of 32 books, including four
on Africa, presenter of 16 international
documentary fi lms, and an excellent
orator, Valmik Thapar’s gruff genius is
what it took for India and the world
to sit up and acknowledge the tiger’s
magnifi cence, its predicament, and the
urgency for conservation.
And for this, we honour him.
WILDLIFE SERVICE AWARDS
We were in search of inspired
wildlifers, forest employees,
researchers, villagers... anyone
currently involved with in situ nature
conservation who have displayed
extraordinary courage, dedication and
determination and set high personal
standards for others to follow.
Jayachandran S.
Fearless warrior, activist and visionary
A seasoned warhorse, Jayachandran S.
has been at the forefront of the fi ght
to save the Nilgiri and Sathyamangalam
landscape in Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats
for over three decades. It was in 1990
that he started the Tamil Nadu Green
Movement and, ever since, this people-
powered initiative has stemmed the
onslaught of unscrupulous industries
and the timber mafi a on this global
biodiversity hotspot.
Jayachandran has taken off enders
to court with unwavering tenacity,
opposing the construction of new
roads such as the one along the
Mettupalayam-Mulli-Ooty route in
been instrumental in helping the Kerala
and Tamil Nadu Forest Departments
bust poaching rackets, make seizures
and apprehend hardened poachers. He
has inspired many poachers to turn
over a new leaf by surrendering their
arms and ensuring alternate livelihood
opportunities for them. Many of these
ex-poachers today help the Forest
Departments in blowing the cover on
the modus operandi and operations of
active wildlife criminals.
Jayachandran is a hero whose
contributions it is impossible to justly
chronicle. He is a man in whose steps
we hope many more will follow.
And for this, we honour him.Kartik Shukul
Lawyer, committed activist and
wilderness defender
He runs a commercial law practice,
off ers advice to several NGOs working
in the fi eld of wildlife protection and
makes himself available to state Forest
Departments, to raise the level of
understanding of relevant laws at training
institutes, conferences and often at
strategy meetings where stacks of legal
documents need to be interpreted to
obtain higher rates of convictions. All this
while he continues to indulge his love for
wildlife photography, usually with a trip to
the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.1998-99; the widening of the Hasanur-
Kollegal highway that runs through
the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
and the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple
Tiger Reserve; and campaigning against
encroachments to secure the Kalllar-
Jakkanarai elephant corridor in the
foothills of the Nilgiris. These early
victories saved thousands of hectares of
prime forest, home to rare and endemic
species, from brutal devastation.
As the Honorary Secretary of
Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment
Association, in 2009, his critical
intervention in an ongoing case against
the unregulated mushrooming of
tourism infrastructure in the Sigur
elephant corridor helped put an end to
encroachments and illegal constructions
in the area for good. He was also
involved in protesting against the
potentially-destructive establishment
of the Indian Neutrino Observatory
at Singara, a crucial elephant habitat.
Through his untiring work, fi ghting legal
battles, advocating for environmental
rights and conducting educational
workshops, Jayachandran inspires
youngsters to join him as volunteers,
many of whom go on to pursue careers
in conservation.
He is a scrappy fi ghter, yes. But he’s
also a solutions provider. By establishing
a web of intelligence networks, he hasFACING PAGE: LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD Erudite and articulate, Valmik Thapar has spent the
past two decades leading conservation battles at every level imaginable. He has served on over
150 committees of both central and state governments.
BELOW: WILDLIFE SERVICE AWARD Jayachandran S. has been at the forefront of the fi ght to save
the Nilgiri and Sathyamangalam landscape in Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats for over three decades.COURTESY: JAYACHANDRAN SHUNMUGANATHAN