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News: Sonali Ghosh, the Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, has become the first Indian to receive the Kenton R. Miller Award for innovation in national parks and protected area sustainability.
About Kenton R. Miller Award
- Instituted by: World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), which operates under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- Year of Establishment: 2006
- Objective: To encourage innovation that bridges science, policy, and local communities ensuring long-term sustainability of protected areas globally.
- Award frequency: Kenton R. Miller Award is presented biennially (once every two years).
- Named after: It is named after Dr. Kenton R. Miller, a former Director General of IUCN, known for his pioneering contributions to conservation science and sustainable management of protected areas.
- Eligibility Criteria: The Kenton R. Miller Award honors those who have made notable, innovative contributions with measurable impact. Prior recipients of international awards in the same field are not eligible, ensuring fresh recognition.
- The award recognises individuals or teams whose innovations in planning, management, finance, governance, monitoring, capacity building, and communication have a significant impact and peer recognition without prior international awards.
- The challenges addressed by awardees include pressures from poaching, climate change, invasive species, and limited finances.
About World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
- The WCPA is one of the six technical commissions of the IUCN.
- It was established in 1948 as a global network dedicated to the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources.
- The WCPA specialises in protected area governance, management, and policy, supporting the creation and effective management of protected areas globally, including national parks, reserves, and marine protected areas.
