GUWAHATI, Dec 2 - Lobsang Gyatso, who is popularly known as �Anna Lama,� has been named as the winner of the prestigious Wildlife Service Award of the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards, 2016 for his efforts to protect the rivers, wildlife and culture of Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh, which is the home to Buddhist Monpa community.
Gyatso, with his Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF), which was set up to safeguard the ecological and socio-cultural security of Mon-Tawang region, forced the suspension of the environmental clearance to the 780-MW Nyamjang Chhu Hydroelectric Project, which directly impacted a three-km stretch of Nyamjang Chhu river, a critical wintering site of the vulnerable Black-necked Crane. This is one of the only two such sites in India for the Black-necked Crane, said the organisers of Sanctuary Wildlife Awards.
