IFS officer Ramesh Pandey to be given Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by UNEP

Senior Indian Forest Service officer Ramesh Pandey has been selected for the prestigious Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The 1996-batch IFS officer, posted as Chief Conservator Forests in Lucknow and Secretary, UP State Bio-diversity Board, is known for his investigation and intelligence gathering on poachers.

Pandey will receive the award on November 13 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok.

"Your excellent work in combating trans-boundary environmental crime has been recognised by the selection panel. The purpose of the Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards are to publicly recognise outstanding achievements by public organisations and individuals in Asia to combat transboundary environmental crime," the citation said.

Impressed by his work in Katarniaghat to curb poaching, the central government had picked him as one of the officers to be part of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau at the time of setting it up.

The government had set up the bureau to combat the wildlife crime exclusively after the reports of zero tiger presence in Sariska reserve.

During his tenure at the Centre, Pandey busted several tiger poaching gangs and ensured a strict vigil on the airport to restrict wildlife smuggling.

Recently, as Field Director of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, he was in the news for coordinating arrest of renowned golfer Jyoti Randhawa for alleged poaching in the protected area of Katarniaghat.

He busted infamous tiger poaching gang of Lambu Fariyad, who was flagged by Interpol as well.

Pandey also introduced M-Stripes (Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive Protection & Ecological Status), a novel software-based patrolling in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on the recommendation of National Tiger Conservation Authority.