Indian scientist Parveen Shaikh has been awarded the 2026 Whitley Award for her work in protecting the endangered Indian skimmer by the Whitley Fund for Nature. Her community-led conservation model in the Ganga basin is now gaining global fame and is expected to expand to Prayagraj.
The award ceremony was held at the Royal Geographical Society and the award was presented to Shaikh by Princess Anne, highlighting the global recognition of grassroots conservation efforts.
What is an Indian skimmer?
The Indian skimmer is a unique yet endangered bird species, popular for its bright orange bill. It has a distinctive feeding style where it skims over the river surface to catch fish. Moreover, their nests are on sandbars and mid-river islands. India hosts over 90% of the global population of Indian skimmer which is currently estimated to be about 3,000. However, Shaikh's conservation model has helped preserve this unique species.
Parveen Shaikh's Guardian model
Parveen Shaikh holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science, and was placed first in her university when she graduated. She has played a key role in compiling national species status reports under the Central Asian Flyway Action Plan. A Mumbai resident, her journey with Indian Skimmers was born out of curiosity when she first travelled to Chambal. Early in her research, she noticed that the eggs and chicks of the birds were heavily predated by free-ranging dogs and jackals, leaving only three or four chicks per nest alive. Thus she developed the Nest Guardian Programme where the model is centred around community-driven efforts:
- The local villagers are trained as nest guardians
- Nests are scientifically monitored
- Protected from predators and human disturbance
- Building a sense of fostering in locals where they now call the Indian skimmer "our birds"
The model has increased the survival rate of the Indian skimmer from 14% to 27%. Their population has grown from 400 in 2017 to nearly 1,000 now. Overall nest survival in the National Chambal Sanctuary improved too, from under 15 per cent to over 25 per cent. The initiative is supported by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) which is one of India's leading conservation research organisations.
“When communities become guardians, conservation stops being an outsider’s job,” she said. Her programme has positively impacted other birds like Black-bellied Tern, Little Tern, River Tern, Small Pratincole, and even riverine turtles.
The future ahead
With the financial support from the Whitley Award, the project will now expand to Prayagraj, where the Ganga and Yamuna rivers meet. However, here Shaikh will have to tackle larger challenges in the form of heavy pilgrimage activities, boat traffic, fishing pressure, pollution and habitat disturbance.
She has received several other prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Graeme Gibson Fellowship (BirdLife International, 2023–24), the Conservation Leadership Programme’s Future Conservationist and Continuation Awards (2016, 2021), and the Ravi Sankaran Fellowship (Inlaks, 2018).
