India, Jan. 8 -- The messiah of Western Ghats, Madhav Dhananjeya Gadgil, moves on leaving a huge impact on public policy, particularly when it concerns biodiversity hotspots within India. For his unflinching conviction and undeterred belief that the entire Western Ghats needs protection as it is ecologically sensitive, Gadgil was awarded the 2024 Champions of the Earth (Life Time Achievement) award, the highest environmental honour bestowed by the United Nations. Since 2005, UNEP honours individuals and organisations working on innovative and sustainable solutions to address the climate crisis, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste and seeks out champions whose actions and thinking are transformative leading to political c...