Nuklu Phom, a man from Nagaland was recognised in the Whitley Awards 2021 for his efforts to help in the conservation of the Amur Falcons which pass through Nagaland every year during their migration.

The Whitley Award website stated ‘Establishing a biodiversity peace corridor in Nagaland’ as the reason for why he was being given the award.

He was one of the 6 recipients of the award, who were: Paula Kahumbu and Sammy Safari from Kenya, Lucy Kemp from South Africa, Pedro Fruet from Brazil, Kini Roesler from Argentina and Iroro Tanshi from Nigeria 

Before Nuklu started his conservation efforts, Amur Falcons used to be hunted and sold by locals when they arrived in Nagaland, with upto 14,000 individuals killed in one village alone annually. Nuklu and his team at the Lemsachenlok Society began to engage communities with the Amur Falcon as a flagship species (or a species of significance which  is used to raise social support for an ecological cause).

The Whitley Award Website writes ‘Since the project began in 2007, three reserves have been set aside and the number of roosting falcons has risen dramatically.’

It also notes ‘An estimated 50,000 Amur Falcons roosted in 2010, increasing to as many as 1,000,000 individuals in 2019 thanks to Nuklu’s success.’

Below is his acceptance speech at the 2021 Whitley Awards.