Imphal: Dr Khangambam Shamungou, an 84-year-old noted environmentalist, author and conservationist from Manipur, received the Lifetime Achievement Environment Award 2026, on Friday.
The prestigious award recognized his exemplary contribution towards environmental protection, climate action and sustainable development.
Dr Shamungou received the award from Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam during the World Environment Day observance at the City Convention Centre, Palace Compound in Imphal.
Organised by the Department of Environment & Climate Change, Government of Manipur, the World Environment Day was held under the theme “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future.”
Dr Shamungou is well-known for his lifelong work in protecting the state’s wildlife and ecology, particularly the endangered Sangai deer, which is also Manipur’s state animal.
Dr Shamungou, a former Head of the Zoology Department at D.M. College of Science in Imphal, is the author of several books focusing on Manipur’s ecology and wildlife. He is considered one of the foremost experts on the Sangai, Manipur’s endemic and critically endangered brow-antlered deer.
In recognition of his decades of conservation efforts, he was also awarded the prestigious Ningombam Pheiraba Award 2025.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the event, Dr Shamungou highlighted that during his active service, he began working working on Sangai conservation as early as the 1970s.
“I was involved in various fields addressing environment-related problems and issues, with a particul focus on the conservation of the Sangai, an animal that faces the risk of extinction if we fail to protect it,” said the renowned conservationist.
He further explained that his efforts extended to conserving springs in the hills, maintaining the local ecological balance, and addressing overall environmental degradation, which he noted has been occurring since the 1980s.
Dr Shamungou also emphasised that natural systems—including mountains, forests, plants, and animals—can survive without human beings. However, humans cannot survive without these natural systems.
“Let us strive to nurture and protect these environmental systems around us so that we can coexist. On this planet, human beings cannot be separated from nature, and thus, both must exist in harmony,” he added.
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