Honorable Chief Guest Introduction 2019!
It brings us immense pleasure and happiness to introduce you all to our honorable chief guest for 2019 Annual show. AWN would like to thank him sincerely for his support!
E. Santosh Martin
Worked as a lecturer in the mechanical engineering department before starting his own school with wife who is a practicing Chartered Accountant.
An active bird watcher, activist and a conservationist. Also an amateur pre-historic archaeologist interested in conservation of early human migration sites dating back to almost 70,000 years.
Got interested in wildlife at the age of 15 and visited many parks with his uncle who was a forest officer.
Been in active wildlife conservation for the past 20 years.
Was honorary wildlife warden of Bellary district for 2 consecutive terms (4 years)
Activism :
Led many fights to save Daroji Bear Sanctuary and other forests in Karnataka. The biggest being the fight against setting up of 6 million tones steel plant by a private company beside Daroji Bear Sanctuary on the bear corridor. The steel plant eventually pulled out.
Been fighting against the setting up of a zoo cum safari on the bear corridor by destroying 500 acres of pristine forest. The fight is on in the court since 8 years and would take some more time.
Also fought against several quarries which is on the eco sensitive zone of the Daroji Bear Sanctuary.
Fought against setting up of luxury resort in Daroji area.
Fought against illegal mining in Bellary area.
Fought with the district administration to save the 3500 BC, 5500 year old Neolithic hills of Sanganakallu in Bellary district. This site is the earliest site where the hunter gatherers settled and took up farming after domesticating plants and animals. Sanganakallu was known as the earliest stone tool making factory in South India where they traded the tools in the whole of now Rayalaseema area.
More than 20 quarries mindlessly destroyed this site for over 60 years. Now this is a protected site under state archaeology.
Fought against the mining company, Baldota to save 17000 Hectares of prestine Kappatagudda forest in Gadag District. This PA was denotified by the government to facilitate gold mining. After a tough fight in the court, the forest is finally free from these capitalists.
Discoveries:
Led the discovery of Great Indian Bustard in 2001 along with Samad Kottur and finally succeeded in discovering a group of 6 Great Indian Bustards in 2006. This discovery was very important for conservation as the GIBs were earlier declared as extinct in Karnataka in the year 1998 by the forest department. Now the state govt and the central govt wants to take up conservation of these birds.
Along with Daughter Sunaina Martin and Samad Kottur a project was launched to rediscover the vultures in Karnataka in the year 2006. Vultures went extinct in Karnataka and a small pocket was thriving in Ramanagar district. The initiative do rediscover in the rest of the state took the group to raichur where a colony of 13 long billed vultures was documented by Sunaina Martin in the year 2012.
An initiative to bring back sparrows to Bellary was very successful along with Daughter Sunaina who is now studying Neuroscience (undergraduate) at UCLA in US. Hundreds of sparrows have now returned back to Bellary. Sunaina is working on other projects such as discovering caracal in Southern India and also rediscovering honey badgers.
AWN is privileged to have him as our honorable chief guest this year!
E. Santosh Martin
Worked as a lecturer in the mechanical engineering department before starting his own school with wife who is a practicing Chartered Accountant.
An active bird watcher, activist and a conservationist. Also an amateur pre-historic archaeologist interested in conservation of early human migration sites dating back to almost 70,000 years.
Got interested in wildlife at the age of 15 and visited many parks with his uncle who was a forest officer.
Been in active wildlife conservation for the past 20 years.
Was honorary wildlife warden of Bellary district for 2 consecutive terms (4 years)
Activism :
Led many fights to save Daroji Bear Sanctuary and other forests in Karnataka. The biggest being the fight against setting up of 6 million tones steel plant by a private company beside Daroji Bear Sanctuary on the bear corridor. The steel plant eventually pulled out.
Been fighting against the setting up of a zoo cum safari on the bear corridor by destroying 500 acres of pristine forest. The fight is on in the court since 8 years and would take some more time.
Also fought against several quarries which is on the eco sensitive zone of the Daroji Bear Sanctuary.
Fought against setting up of luxury resort in Daroji area.
Fought against illegal mining in Bellary area.
Fought with the district administration to save the 3500 BC, 5500 year old Neolithic hills of Sanganakallu in Bellary district. This site is the earliest site where the hunter gatherers settled and took up farming after domesticating plants and animals. Sanganakallu was known as the earliest stone tool making factory in South India where they traded the tools in the whole of now Rayalaseema area.
More than 20 quarries mindlessly destroyed this site for over 60 years. Now this is a protected site under state archaeology.
Fought against the mining company, Baldota to save 17000 Hectares of prestine Kappatagudda forest in Gadag District. This PA was denotified by the government to facilitate gold mining. After a tough fight in the court, the forest is finally free from these capitalists.
Discoveries:
Led the discovery of Great Indian Bustard in 2001 along with Samad Kottur and finally succeeded in discovering a group of 6 Great Indian Bustards in 2006. This discovery was very important for conservation as the GIBs were earlier declared as extinct in Karnataka in the year 1998 by the forest department. Now the state govt and the central govt wants to take up conservation of these birds.
Along with Daughter Sunaina Martin and Samad Kottur a project was launched to rediscover the vultures in Karnataka in the year 2006. Vultures went extinct in Karnataka and a small pocket was thriving in Ramanagar district. The initiative do rediscover in the rest of the state took the group to raichur where a colony of 13 long billed vultures was documented by Sunaina Martin in the year 2012.
An initiative to bring back sparrows to Bellary was very successful along with Daughter Sunaina who is now studying Neuroscience (undergraduate) at UCLA in US. Hundreds of sparrows have now returned back to Bellary. Sunaina is working on other projects such as discovering caracal in Southern India and also rediscovering honey badgers.
AWN is privileged to have him as our honorable chief guest this year!
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