Arunachal Pradesh-based NGO Singchung Bugun Community Reserve (SBVCR) won the India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the “Conservation of wildlife species” category.
It was awarded for its efforts to conserve rare Critically Endangered bird Bugun
The award is a joint initiative of
Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC),
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It recognizes the contribution of a range of stakeholders towards the conservation of biodiversity.
It is given in four categories viz.
Conservation of Threatened Species,
Sustainable use of biological resources
Successful models for access and benefit sharing
Biodiversity Management Committees
The bird was identified as a new species in 2006 and is reportedly only new bird species to have been discovered in India since 1947.
It has been named after Bugun tribe because of their conservation efforts.