British natural historian and television presenter David Attenborough will receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2019, PTI reported on Tuesday. An international jury headed by former President Pranab Mukherjee selected him.
Attenborough was selected for spending his life revealing the wonders of the natural world and tirelessly working to make human beings realise the importance of preserving and protecting the biodiversity on our planet, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust said in a statement.
“Few individuals have come to be as identified with the well being of our planet, of all living creatures, and their relationship with human beings, as Sir David,” the statement said, according to National Herald. It added that he has also strived to awaken the need to “live in a sustainable and harmonious way with all life, and to stop being what he has called a ‘plague on earth’”.
“For over five decades he has produced and anchored the most compelling visual documentaries and histories of animal and plant life on Earth,” the statement said. “In recent years, he has drawn attention to one of the most destructive forces of our era: the threat to nature from a predatory humankind.”
The trust also called him a “powerful and persuasive voice” on the need to listen to warnings about ecological disasters. The naturalist has extensively worked with the BBC.
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