Along the wide, sandy riverbanks of the Chambal in India, a delicate drama unfolds annually. Small, distinctive black-and-white birds, known as Indian Skimmers, press themselves gently into the ground, laying their eggs directly on the exposed sand. Their only defenses are the subtle camouflage of their plumage and an innate instinct to survive, even as free-ranging dogs patrol the shorelines, ever vigilant for an easy meal. Yet, unseen by these natural predators, another, equally powerful force is at play: a vigilant community, standing guard over these vulnerable nests. This commitment to local stewardship has now earned Parveen Shaikh, a leading figure in this conservation effort, the prestigious 2026 Whitley Award.
The Fragile World of the Indian Skimmer: A Species on the Brink
The Indian Skimmer ( Rynchops albicollis ) is a truly unique avian species, instantly recognizable by its striking orange-and-yellow bill, which features a longer lower mandible perfectly adapted for skimming the surface of water to catch fish. Classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), its global population has faced severe pressures, primarily due to habitat loss and degradation. These elegant birds are obligate breeders on open, undisturbed sandbanks of large rivers, making them exceptionally vulnerable to changes in riverine ecosystems. Historically, their range extended across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia, but populations have fragmented and declined drastically in recent decades. Estimates suggest the global population is now critically low, underscoring the urgency of concentrated conservation efforts.
The Chambal River, a tributary of the Yamuna River, forms a crucial part of the National Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary, a designated protected area spanning Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. This sanctuary is renowned for its relatively pristine riverine habitat, supporting a diverse array of wildlife, including critically endangered gharials, Ganges river dolphins, and numerous migratory and resident bird species. For the Indian Skimmer, the Chambal’s expansive sandbanks have long been a vital nesting ground. However, even within this protected zone, subtle yet profound ecological shifts began to threaten the species’ survival.
Parveen Shaikh, working tirelessly with local communities and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), witnessed firsthand how delicate changes could reshape entire ecosystems. The BNHS, one of India’s oldest and largest non-governmental organizations dedicated to conservation and biodiversity research, has been instrumental in providing scientific backing and institutional support for such initiatives. While the Chambal’s waters remained remarkably clear, the construction and operation of upstream dams significantly altered the river’s natural flow regime. This manipulation led to unpredictable and often reduced seasonal water levels, gradually eroding the natural barriers—such as temporary islands and elevated sandbars—that once protected nesting sites from terrestrial predators and human disturbance. What had once been safe, isolated ground, naturally buffered by water, became increasingly accessible to free-ranging dogs, livestock, and opportunistic human activities like sand mining and unregulated fishing. Entire colonies of breeding birds, their nests and eggs laid openly on the sand, became acutely vulnerable.
The Genesis of Community Watch: A Simple Yet Transformative Solution
In response to this escalating crisis, Parveen Shaikh championed a deceptively simple yet profoundly effective initiative: the establishment of a nest guardian programme. This programme, developed in close collaboration with the local communities residing along the Chambal’s banks, harnessed indigenous knowledge and fostered a sense of shared responsibility. During the critical breeding season, which typically spans from March to June, trained community members take turns monitoring designated nesting areas. Their presence serves as a quiet but constant line of defense, deterring potential threats from both animal predators and human disturbances. Beyond active deterrence, these guardians meticulously track changes in water levels, providing invaluable data that helps anticipate and mitigate risks to nests, such as inundation or increased accessibility.
The impact of this community-led intervention has been nothing short of remarkable. Since the programme’s inception in 2017, the Indian Skimmer population along the Chambal River has witnessed a significant rebound, growing from an estimated 400 individuals to nearly 1,000. This near doubling of the local population is a powerful testament to the effectiveness of sustained, localized conservation efforts and represents a critical milestone for a species whose global numbers remain perilously low. Parveen Shaikh articulates this sentiment perfectly: "Seeing small successes, such as a protected nest or a chick taking its first flight, reminds me that consistent effort can create real change." Her recognition with the 2026 Whitley Award, often dubbed the ‘Green Oscars,’ not only celebrates her profound achievements but also provides crucial funding to expand this proven community-led riverine protection model to other vital Skimmer habitats, including the banks of the Ganga River near Prayagraj.
Beneath the Surface: Conservation Beyond Protected Areas in the Galápagos
Thousands of kilometers away, amidst the volcanic highlands of the Galápagos Archipelago, another compelling conservation narrative unfolds, demonstrating that the boundaries of protected areas do not always encompass the entirety of ecological necessity. Here, on Santa Cruz Island, the Galápagos Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) embarks on its annual migration, returning from its pelagic life at sea to nest in silence, not along riverbanks, but deep beneath the soil. These petrels, like their Indian Skimmer counterparts, are classified as Endangered by the IUCN, facing unique threats within their highly specialized breeding grounds. They spend most of their lives soaring over the open ocean, only returning to land to breed in fragile burrows carved into the soft volcanic soil, primarily within the agricultural zones of the island’s highlands.
For Paola Sangolquí, a marine conservation coordinator at Fundación Jocotoco, protecting these hidden subterranean spaces has become a life’s mission. Fundación Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the country’s threatened birds and their habitats, primarily through the establishment and management of private reserves. Sangolquí’s work represents a critical shift in conservation strategy, moving beyond the traditional confines of national parks and reserves to engage directly with farmers, landowners, and local communities. This approach is rooted in the fundamental understanding that effective conservation cannot stop at arbitrary park borders but must extend across the broader landscapes where human populations live and work, recognizing them as integral partners rather than mere bystanders.
The pressures facing the Galápagos Petrel take a different, yet equally destructive, form. The archipelago, famed for its unique biodiversity, has long grappled with the pervasive threat of invasive species introduced by human activity. Rats, particularly the black rat (Rattus rattus), and feral cats (Felis catus), along with pigs (Sus scrofa), are formidable predators of petrel eggs and chicks, capable of decimating entire nesting colonies. Compounding this challenge is the gradual expansion of agriculture, which alters the natural terrain, reduces suitable nesting habitats, and increases human-wildlife conflict. For years, many of these crucial petrel nests remained undocumented, hidden in plain sight within private farmlands.
Forging Partnerships and Cultivating Shared Responsibility
Through meticulous fieldwork, carried out in close coordination with the Galápagos National Park Directorate—the primary governmental authority responsible for conservation and management of the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve—Paola Sangolquí and her team began to systematically locate and document these hidden burrows. This painstaking process laid the groundwork for targeted conservation interventions. The ongoing work involves a multi-pronged strategy: protecting individual burrows with physical barriers to deter predators, continuous monitoring of nesting activity, implementing targeted predator control measures, and, crucially, building trust and fostering collaboration with the very landowners who share their land with these elusive birds.
As awareness has grown through these direct engagements, so too has a profound sense of connection and shared responsibility. Landowners, who initially might have viewed the petrel as a distant or irrelevant entity, have begun to see the bird not merely as a conservation concern but as an intrinsic part of their own territory—a species whose future is inextricably intertwined with their own stewardship. This transformation in perception is eloquently captured by Paola Sangolquí: "As awareness has grown, local communities and landowners hosting nests have begun to see the petrel as a symbol of shared responsibility… every time, I see a chick successfully fledge, I am reminded why we do this work, it is about giving a species a real chance to tell its story." In this process, conservation evolves from being an external intervention to an internal, jointly embraced responsibility, making it far more sustainable and effective in the long term.
The Philosophy of Proximity: A Shared Horizon for Global Conservation
Though separated by vast geographical distances, distinct species, and varied landscapes, the conservation narratives of Parveen Shaikh and Paola Sangolquí are powerfully united by a common thread: a profound philosophy of conservation that originates from within the territory itself. Whether along the shifting, dynamic edges of an Indian river or beneath the quiet soil of a Galápagos island, these pioneering efforts are sustained by individuals and communities who actively choose to stay, to observe, and, most importantly, to care. Their work exemplifies a paradigm shift in conservation, moving away from purely top-down, protected-area-centric models towards more inclusive, community-led approaches that integrate human populations as essential partners in biodiversity preservation.
This model holds immense implications for global conservation strategies, particularly in regions where human populations and critical wildlife habitats overlap extensively. It demonstrates the replicability of localized, grassroots initiatives in addressing complex ecological challenges, often with limited resources but abundant human capital and dedication. By empowering local communities and recognizing their invaluable knowledge and agency, these projects build resilience and foster a sense of ownership that is often lacking in externally imposed conservation mandates. The long-term sustainability of such efforts is significantly enhanced when local people are invested in the success of conservation, understanding its direct benefits to their environment and livelihoods.
The ongoing challenges for both the Indian Skimmer and the Galápagos Petrel remain significant. For the Skimmer, threats like sand mining, pollution, and further dam construction continue to loom. For the Petrel, the battle against invasive species and habitat fragmentation is a continuous one. However, the successes achieved by Parveen Shaikh and Paola Sangolquí offer a powerful blueprint and a beacon of hope. Their work underscores that in the quiet, constant, and collective decision to protect and nurture the natural world around them, lies the profound possibility of recovery and resilience for even the most vulnerable species. Their recognition with the Whitley Award is not merely an accolade for individual achievement but a celebration of the transformative power of community-driven conservation worldwide.
Congratulations from the entire BirdLife International flock to Parveen and Paola, whose inspiring work illuminates a path forward for a shared horizon between humanity and the natural world.
