About Whitley Awards:
- It is often called as the “Green Oscars,”
- It recognises grassroots conservation leaders in the Global South.
- It is given by the UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
- It provides winners with £50,000 in project funding over one year to scale up local solutions to biodiversity loss.
Key Facts about Himalayan salamander
- It is a lizard-like amphibian species.
- Although it resembles a lizard, it lacks scales on its body.
- Distribution: It is endemic to India (the Darjeeling region), Nepal and Bhutan,
- Salamanders return to their natal site to breed and lay eggs—a process known as philopatry, which makes them highly vulnerable to changes in habitat and wetland health.
- Cultural Significance: The wetlands where Himalayan salamanders breed are culturally revered water bodies, associated with local deities and rituals.
- Conservation Status: IUCN: Vulnerable
Key Facts about Indian skimmer
- It is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus Rynchops in the family Laridae.
- It gets its name from the way it feeds, flying low over the water surface and ‘skimming’for fish.
- Habitat: It occurs primarily on larger, sandy, lowland rivers, around lakes and adjacent marshes.
- Distribution: It is mainly found in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, with some populations extending to Nepal and Myanmar.
In India, one of the key areas for spotting Indian Skimmers is the Chambal River.
Conservation status: IUCN: Endangered
