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Context:
Parveen Shaikh, a scientist at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), has been awarded the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2025 for her innovative, community-led conservation efforts for the endangered Indian Skimmer in the National Chambal Sanctuary.
About the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award
- Purpose: Recognises outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation in India.
- Instituted by: Sanctuary Nature Foundation
- Scope: Awards field practitioners, scientists, and community leaders who protect ecosystems and threatened species.
Parveen Shaikh’s Key Contributions
- Scientific Research & Monitoring
- Conducted long-term studies (since 2016) on Indian Skimmer populations.
- Documented nesting behaviour, survival challenges, and threats from river-level fluctuations and predators.
- ‘Nest Guardian’ Model
- Developed a community-led protection system for nesting colonies on sandbars.
- Trained locals to fence colonies, monitor nests, and deter predators.
- Result: Nest survival increased from near zero to ~60%.
- Habitat & Threat Assessment
- Analysed impacts of dams, altered river flows, and sandbar accessibility on nesting.
- Proposed adaptive conservation measures aligned with river dynamics.