NEW DELHI, June 8: Director of Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of Delhi, Prof. D Dinabandhu Sahoo, who introduced Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong and other parts of the Northeast, has been conferred with the Green Globe Award 2022 for his outstanding contributions in the field of Biodiversity Conservation and Himalayan Ecosystem.
Dr Saho, who was also former Director of Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), located in Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim, was conferred with the award recently during a function held at IIT Delhi.
A professor of Botany at Delhi University, Dr Sahoo has undertaken substantial work at the ground level in the remote areas of Northeastern states.
Dr Sahoo was instrumental in launching India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival in Shillong and has since then been spearheading the idea in different states.
For his outstanding contributions, a new Cherry Blossom plants species Prunus dinabandhuana has been named in his honour by the scientists.
In recognition of his continuing efforts to save the biodiversity, a new ginger species was also named after him a few years back.
Dr Sahoo is now spearheading a path-breaking idea of making compulsory for each college and university student to not only plant a native tree species but also take the responsibility to grow it.
This has become necessary as India has only 28 trees per person compared to global average of 422 trees per person.