By Atul Sathe
Mumbai

Veteran ornithologist and conservationist Mr Lavkumar Khachar passed away on Monday, 2nd March 2015 in Rajkot at the age of 84. BNHS mourns the sad demise of this staunch supporter of the conservation movement in India.

Late Mr Khachar’s BNHS association
Late Mr Khachar was closely associated with BNHS for a long time in a variety of ways and capacities. He was a life member of BNHS. He was awarded the prestigious Salim Ali – Loke Wan Tho Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Ornithology. This Award was in recognition of his pioneering work in the field of conservation of birds and their habitats. He had also closely worked with Salim Ali.

Contribution to conservation
Late Mr Khachar was the mentor and guide for many ornithologists across India . He was the founder of Hingolgarh Nature Conservation Education Programme in the remote regions of Gujarat . Many of his students are now prominent decision makers in different parts of the country. He has written many seminal research papers on the birdlife of India . He spent his entire life in studying nature and educating people to help them understand and love it. He worked closely with several other conservation organizations including WWF-India and Centre for Environment Education.

His absence will be felt for a long time to come, not only among the fraternity of conservationists and researchers but also by all nature lovers. May his soul rest in peace.

(Atul Sathe is Manager-Communications, BNHS-India)