It is indeed a matter of pride for Assam that Nagaon based Green Guard Nature Organization is among the only three Indian groups recognized among 96 global ‘Elephant Champions.’
Elephant Champions is a honour roll of Moving Giants that features select group of those wildlife advocates among millions of such organizations around the world devoted to the welfare and well-being of elephants.
Moving Giants works in documentation of elephant translocation from South Africa to Mozambique and covers elephant news from around the globe.
The Elephant Champions page (www.
Apart from Nagaon based Green Guard Nature Organization of Assam, the other two organizations from the country are Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and A Rocha India.
Talking to Northeast Now, Rituraj Phukan, secretary general of Green Guard Nature Organization said, “It is indeed a huge honour for a small and local organization to be named with these inspirational groups that we have always sought to emulate. Ironically, there are a few India-based groups and we are the only one from Assam; with so much work being done around the country.”
“We are so proud to be featured with organizations inspiring positive change across the elephant range countries in Asia and Africa,” he added.
Green Guards Nature Organization works with fringe forest communities to mitigate conflict with wild animals, promote reforestation and engage people in conservation.
This Assam based nature organization was also the first to organize systematic biodiversity studies of the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, the forests along the Nagaon-Karbi Anglong border and of the avifauna of Nagaon and Morigaon districts.
The organization had also launched a migratory bird census and monitoring programme way back in 1995, which has been continuing every year since then.
Through the programme, the organization has been able to identify eight wetlands of great conservation potential outside the protected areas of Nagaon and Morigaon.
These wetlands are now regularly monitored and the data collected is sent to the International Wetland Research Bureau and the Asian Wetland Research Bureau.
Founded in 1994, Green Guard Nature Organization has been involved with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, environment conservation, education, awareness and uplift of communities living in and around bio-diverse forests.