Winners of 2012 TOFT Wildlife Tourism Awards

Sawadee are the front runner in sustainable tourism in the Netherlands and are active members of TOFT as well as supporting the guide training programme.

Shukru Kumal is 52 years old and has been working as a naturalist for the last 28 years. He started his working life Tiger Tops where for over 20 years he established himself as an expert bird guide. For the last 8 years at Ken River Lodge, Panna, he has become an authority on birds, insects, reptiles, grasses and trees. He is involved in numerous training programs, census and resource operations in Panna.

Shakti's leads responsible tourism initiatives in the form of village walks and leased and restored home visits in the remote Himalayan belt in India. Its ecofriendly tourism in these vulnerable areas, gives financial and practical help back to the local communities in which they works with responsibility and dignity.

Established in 1993, Royal Expeditions has become a specialist in the wildlife sector, developing a range of specialist, inventive, imaginative and pioneering trips as well as wildlife study tours with its international clients.

Shymendra Sharma built Ken River Lodge in Panna 25 years ago. Starting off by regenerating 50 acres of wheat fields into healthy forest, Ken is now a haven for wildlife and despite setbacks and catastrophes’ there is now a healthy population of Tigers again. Shymendra has been a major instigator in making sure that the local communities benefit from the presence of Ken River Lodge with guide training programmes, village school projects and now setting up walking safaris in critical tiger corridors which not only generates an income but also patrols these overlooked areas, aid restoration and discourage poaching.

Vipal has worked in park since 1993 and has been involved with a number of travel companies and their NGO’s that run projects in and around the area the Tiger Awareness charity.

Guru is a local guide who started work in Kanha over 20 years ago from the Mukki park guide. He is one of the oldest guides in the park today with extensive knowledge of flora and fauna.

Ajay is from the local Gond tribe which borders with Pench. Ajay is very knowledgeable on mammals and birds as well as being excellent with guests.

Started in 1996 this lodge is an really good example of how tourism can transform life, turning barren land and dried up stream beds back to life to create a haven for wildlife. It’s based on 30 acres of land, of which the building footprint is kept to a small area with a further 9 restored to wildlife. Its effect has been the transformation of the park area too, with decreasing in poaching, restoration of rivers and trees and bountiful wildlife has returned and new and stable livelihoods for bordering communities.

Singinawa is set in 56 acres of land that has been divided into the Singinawa Jungle Lodge (only 2 acres used for the lodge) and the Singinawa Conservation Area which is restored habitat for nature. The lodge supports the local community with health and education and actively promotes conservation, with valuable funding and equipment support.

The Field Director’s team at Pench has been judged recently by NTCA as one of the best managed in the country. Tourism now stands at significant levels of 69000 visits in 2011-12 and is run in a well ordered and well managed way within the park itself. Tigers numbers are in a healthy way, with heavy herbivore densities and recent WII research has had a significant bearing on the current debate with effects of tourism on tiger breeding.