Balipara Foundation Awards 2026 to Honour Earth Heroes
For thirteen years, the Balipara Foundation Awards (BFA) have celebrated the people and organisations working quietly but tirelessly to safeguard the Eastern Himalaya, one of the world’s richest biodiversity landscapes. On 4thNovember 2026, the Balipara Foundation will host the 14thedition of the Awards, honouring a new cohort of grassroots conservationists, researchers, innovators, and institutions whose work is restoring ecosystems and strengthening nature-based livelihoods.
Since its inception, the Awards have recognised 187 Earth Heroes creating one of India’s foremost platforms for grassroots environmental leadership. Beyond recognition, the Awards provide visibility, foster collaboration, and amplify community-led conservation efforts, enabling local solutions to gain wider recognition and inspire greater action.
Over the past thirteen years, award recipients have collectively contributed to the conservation and restoration of over 15,000 hectares of landscapes across the Eastern Himalaya. Their work has also supported the conservation, discovery, and documentation of more than 4,500 species, while safeguarding indigenous knowledge systems, strengthening climate resilience, and creating sustainable livelihoods rooted in nature.
The Awards recognise excellence across nine categories, celebrating leadership in biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, community stewardship, research, innovation, indigenous knowledge, sustainable livelihoods, and environmental education. Together, these categories reflect the Foundation’s belief that protecting nature requires action across science, communities, policy, and enterprise.
The 2026 Awards would continue this legacy by recognising individuals and organisations whose work demonstrates that local solutions are essential to addressing global environmental challenges. The ceremony would also mark the culmination of Naturenomics™ Week 2026, bringing together governments, academia, industry, civil society, and local communities to advance a shared vision of nature-positive development for the Eastern Himalaya and beyond.
Reflecting on the significance of the Awards, Ranjit Barthakur, Founder of Balipara Foundation, says: “Nature is our oldest economy. When we invest in people who restore forests, revive rivers, and protect biodiversity, we are investing in the resilience and prosperity of future generations. The Balipara Foundation Awards celebrate those who prove that conservation and development can grow together”.
As environmental challenges continue to intensify, the Balipara Foundation Awards reaffirm the importance of investing in grassroots leadership. By celebrating those working closest to nature, the Foundation seeks to inspire greater collaboration, encourage innovation, and amplify solutions that can be replicated across the Eastern Himalayan region and beyond.
