Khurshida Begum, a young widow from Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, has been selected for the Wangari Maathai Award 2012 for her co-management efforts and leadership in conservation of natural resources.
She started her natural resource conservation activities in 2006, during the inception of Nishorgo Network, through forming a female Community Patrol Group (CPG) with 28 women at Kerontali, said a press release.
Along with the forest guards, she took upon the challenges of sharing the responsibilities of conserving the sanctuary against poaching and illegal logging. She made the local people aware about biodiversity conservation for future generation.
Apart from carrying out her duties as a Union Parishad member, Khurshida also deals with health and hygiene of the community, school maintenance, upkeep of roads and various development issues.
The award has been named after Wangari Muta Maathai, a Kenyan environmental and political activist, who in 2004 became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”.
The award will be handed over to Khurshida on September 27 in Rome, Italy, on the occasion of the first anniversary of Maathai’s death, during the meeting of FAO’s 3rd World Forestry Week (WFW), the statement added.
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), an informal and voluntary arrangement among 14 international organisations and secretariats working for forest, has launched the first ever award to honour and commemorate the impact of this extraordinary woman who championed forest issues around the world.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
