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2009 Associate Award Winner
Sudipto Chatterjee India Terrestrial
Conservation of wild Rhododendrons, Eastern Himalayas

Sudipto Chatterjee: An Action Plan for conservation of wild Rhododendrons, Eastern Himalayas

Sudipto Chatterjee is the Group Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Conservation Programme for the InsPIRE Network for Environment, an organisation working to address India’s environmental challenges; from biodiversity loss, to climate change.

Habitat destruction, unplanned development and over-exploitation have been the major drivers of decline in Rhododendron plants in India’s Eastern Himalayas, with nearly half of the recorded species in danger of extinction.

Sudipto and his team are developing a Conservation Action Plan for Rhododendrons. The plan will consolidate and build on existing data, providing up-to-date information that will be used to guide action and influence policy to protect these plants at both the landscape and regional level.

100820 Tagging flowers

With the support of local people Sudipto is aiming to create a network of community conservation areas encompassing India’s Rhododendron diversity. He is also introducing more sustainable sources of fuel such as solar energy to reduce over-exploitation of Rhododendrons – directly addressing the drivers of their decline.

Pic 2 R.dalhousie var rhabdotum

In 2009, WFN was delighted to support the work of Sudipto and his team through an Associate Award of £10,000 for one year of project funding.