In News:

A team of young researchers from Kerala has won the prestigious Future Conservationist Award by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) for their community-driven project on conserving the Malabar Grey Hornbill in Wayanad.

About Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus)

• Status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
• Legal Protection: Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• Endemic to: Western Ghatsand parts of the Nilgiris, Wayanad, and Anamalai Hills in Southern India.
• Habitat: Evergreen forests, plantations, and agricultural landscapes
• Ecological Importance: Cavity-nesting frugivore, plays a key role in seed dispersal
• Nesting Behavior:
  • Nests in secondary cavities (e.g., old woodpecker hollows)
  • Reuses the same nesting cavity for years
  • Dependent on cavity-bearing trees, often outside protected areas

About the Future Conservationist Award (CLP)

• Awarded By:
  • Fauna & Flora International
  • BirdLife International
  • Wildlife Conservation Society
• Purpose: Supports early-career conservationists with funding and mentorship
• Focus Areas: Field conservation, community engagement, biodiversity monitoring