TINA will support individuals who are integrally involved with or spearheading in-situ conservation projects in India. Every two years, a grant of INR 3, 00,000 will be awarded by TINA to three grantees selected through a rigorous application process. The grant is explicitly for grassroots conservationists and is not available to researchers, students, organizations and city dwellers.
The first three TINA grantees, for the years 2015, are Sarbaranjan Mondal who works in and around the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve; Binod Bora who mitigates conflict and rescues wildlife in the militancy afflicted Karbi-Anglong hills near the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve; and Roheet Karoo, a young crusader associated with the Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra. All three of these men are featured Sanctuary Tiger Defenders and are working against crushing odds with the single-minded purpose of protecting biodiversity.
Paul Abraham, founder of the Tina Abraham-Sanctuary Initiative for Nature Action, said, “It was Tina's dream that our children never have to imagine wild India but would be blessed with an abundant reality that they could ‘touch' feel and visit. She had a special place in her heart for those who toiled in the field carrying our burden on their shoulders and whose work would benefit us and our future"
Sanctuary Asia editor Bittu Sahgal added, “What better way to remember those we loved than to work for that which meant the most to them? Tina wore her green heart on her sleeve all life long, and through TINA, Sanctuary intends to keep that heartbeat going."
Sanctuary Asia will provide regular updates on the work done by the TINA grantees.
