Chandrakant G Wakankar

Green Teacher Award (2012)

Educationist, mentor, naturalist, author, conservationist 

Chandrakant G. Wakankar A modest man who always puts his wards ahead of himself, Chandrakant Wakankar’s love affair with nature spans four decades of sowing seeds of appreciation for nature and knowledge in the minds of thousands of impressionable young men and women in India and across the world. Here is a man who truly walks the talk, living by the environmental values and principles he expounds for the benefit of his students. His expertise lies in the arenas of restoration ecology and wildlife management, biodiversity conservation and environmental ethics. Through his hugely-productive life, he has worked with WWF-India, the Bombay Natural History Society and Econet in Pune, where his passion for history and hiking merged with his commitment to protect India’s wildlife.

Currently, a Contributory Faculty member with the University of Pune, he guides M.Sc. students, on whom he is undoubtedly leaving an indelible conservation stamp. Many of today’s most popular field-training programmes, workshops, and camps, which are being implemented across India have their roots in the early structure that Professor Wakankar put together for students of all ages, ranging from primary school to university. In his view, the one achievement he is most proud of is the creation of over 2,000 nature clubs across India. These nature clubs have given birth to some of our finest conservationists whose foundations are going to be the foundation of a stronger, ecologically-stable India. 

He is a Green Teacher who lives so that our children may outlive us and see better tomorrows.

For this, we honour him.