‘Amchem Mollem’ wins prestigious Sanctuary Asia Wildlife award

THE GOAN NETWORK | DECEMBER 05, 2021, 12:39 AM IST

PANAJI
Students, greens and others under the umbrella of “Amchem Mollem” may still be pursuing their quest to have the three controversial linear projects in protected forests threatening the ecosystem at Mollem dropped. 

However, on Saturday they got a shot in the arm after their collaborative efforts earned recognition and accolades of the prestigious ‘Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Service Award’ giving wind to the sails of their relentless fight.

The Sanctuary Wildlife Awards 2021 was streamed live on Saturday evening and was hosted by noted conservationist and founder of Sanctuary Nature Foundation Bittu Sagal, UN Environmental Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza and DSP Investment Managers vice-chairperson Aditi Desai.

Going by the award’s commendation, Amchem Mollem seemingly clinched the honours for the coming together of ordinary citizens and the pooling of their collective might to resist the perceived destruction these projects would cause to the world heritage wildlife ecosystem in the western ghats at Mollem.

Students, doctors, lawyers, fisherfolk, architects, hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs, teachers, farmers, scientists and generally concerned citizens have joined hands to raise a movement against the three projects -- railway double-tracking, national highway expansion and a private power transmission project.

The movement gradually won support across India and even the global conservation community even as the Covid-19 pandemic raged and a section of the scientific community raised awareness over the link between ecosystem damage, climate change and pandemics.

One of the stellar aspects of the Save Mollem movement was the perceptible emergence of creative spontaneity in the form of films, art, stories and songs produced by participants of the movement. Also, Goa’s young took centrestage organising rallies, flash mobs and even serious and studious contributions via petitions at public hearings.

While governments -- State and Central -- are as yet loath in responding positively to the demand to drop the projects and minimise damage to the ecology, one feather in Amchem Mollem’s cap has been the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee recommendation scrapping one project and signification modification of the other two.

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