Assam: Century Asia confers Wildlife Service Award 2025 on Dr Sonali Ghosh

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: India’s leading organization, Century Asia, on Sunday conferred the Wildlife Service Award 2025 upon Dr Sonali Ghosh, Field Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The award ceremony was held at the auditorium of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai. Along with Dr Sonali Ghosh, other recipients of the Century Asia Wildlife Service Award 2025 included renowned Indian water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh, wetland bird expert Pravin Shekh, forest expert Baban, climate expert Siddharth Agrawal, and forest officer Saruj Kumar Panda.

Century Asia stated that Dr Sonali Ghosh was selected for the award in recognition of her timely and effective measures to maintain the morale and work efficiency of forest staff working in over 200 forest camps that remain cut off during the floods in Kaziranga. In addition, she created history in 2023 by bravely assuming responsibility as the first woman Field Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. With over two decades of service in the Indian Forest Service, she has distinguished herself as a visionary and highly efficient administrator. Furthermore, in 2025, she became the first Indian to receive the prestigious international Kent R Miller Award from the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Century Asia also praised Dr Ghosh for her impactful scientific work, including leopard rehabilitation in Kaziranga, Chakrashila, and Manas national parks, her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Forest Department, and her guidance and mentorship to young officers and women joining the Forest Service. The organization highly appreciated her courage, compassion, and excellence.

After receiving the Century Asia Wildlife Service Award 2025 in Mumbai, Dr Sonali Ghosh stated that as forest officers, they must never forget the mud on their shoes, their notebooks in hand, and their field of work—where the roots of evolution are deeply spread.

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