Kenton R. Miller Award

Why in news?

Sonali Ghosh, the Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, has becomes first Indian to receive IUCN Kenton Miller Award at the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Abu Dhabi.

• Kenton Miller Award – It is a biennial award (every two years) for innovation in the management and sustainability of national parks and other protected areas.
• Named after – Dr Kenton R. Miller, a pioneer in conservation and former Director General of IUCN.
• Established in – 2006.
• Presented by – IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
• Purpose – The award honors innovators who have made a significant, demonstrable impact on conservation and protected area management at local, national, or international levels.
• Prize – Honorees receive
  • A $5,000 USD grant,
  • International recognition by their peers, and
  • An accompanying citation acknowledging their contribution.
• Categories – The award recognizes innovative solutions in several areas, including –
  • Planning and management
  • Finance and economics
  • Governance
  • Assessment, monitoring, and evaluation
  • Communication
• Recent recipients – For 2025 - Sonali Ghosh (India) and Roque Simón Sevilla Larrea (Ecuador).
  • Sonali Ghosh – Field Director of India's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
  • She was recognized for her model of community-based conservation that integrates traditional ecological knowledge with modern science.
  • Roque Simón Sevilla Larrea – She was recognized for his work in advancing sustainability across several business sectors, including tourism, insurance, agriculture, and clean energy.
  • One of his notable ventures is the Mashpi Lodge, an eco-lodge in Ecuador's cloud forest that focuses on sustainable tourism.
• Past recipients –
  • In 2023 – Mexico’s Maria Del Carmen Garcia Rivas for advancing marine protected areas with collaborative governance and scientific monitoring;
  • In 2020 – Nizar Youssef Hani of Lebanon’s Shouf Biosphere Reserve for ecosystem restoration and community empowerment post-conflict; and
  • In 2014 – Burung Indonesia for community-based bird conservation integrating local knowledge and scientific research.

References

1. The Hindu | First Indian to win IUCN Kenton Miller Award
2. IUCN | IUCN Kenton Miller Award