Hemendra Kothari, Chairman of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) India Advisory Board, has won the prestigious Oak Leaf Award during a ceremony in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in the US capital of Washington D.C. on 3 October 2023. The award is for his lifelong contribution to the field of conservation in India.
Given by The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environment conservation organisation having a presence in 76 countries around the globe, the Oak Leaf Awards are given to recognize trustees and volunteers who embody the organisation’s values and whose accomplishments advance its mission.
Mr Kothari, a veteran investment banker, was instrumental in setting up the India presence of The Nature Conservancy in 2015. He guides the Conservancy’s work in the country as the Chairman of the advisory board of TNC India.
Mr Kothari has long supported conservation efforts and is one of India’s largest donors in wildlife and environment conservation. He is a Member of the State Board for Wildlife of Rajasthan under the Chairmanship of the Chief Minister, a member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), appointed by the Government of India and a member of the Advisory Council of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF).
Conservancy’s trustees have set an audacious 2030 Goals. These goals include avoiding or sequestering 3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, helping 100 million people at severe risk of climate-related emergencies by protecting and restoring the health of natural habitats, conserving 1.6 billion acres of land as well as 1 million kilometres of river systems and 30 million hectares of lakes and wetlands by engaging in collaborative partnerships, among others.
