Richard has recently returned from two trips to India where he was helping produce a documentary on the status of India’s Wildlife Reserves. The film charts an epic 3 month, journey across Northern and Central India - assessing what is actually happening on the ground. The situation is critical with fewer than 1,200 tigers left in the wild, but there is hope with a number of positive initiatives in place.

Conservation is something Richard feels passionate about. Ten years ago he helped establish Discovery Initiatives – a pioneering travel company providing unforgettable wildlife experiences. More recently Discovery’s CEO, Julian Matthews, also founded a new travel industry advocacy group - Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT). Unsurprisingly, Richard has found himself in the thick of things – helping in the fight to save India’s most iconic animal.

TOFT have just launched a major international Awards programme to encourage best practice in tiger related tourism. To mark the launch Richard suggested they give life-time achievement awards to two tigers that brought significant revenue to the country. The awards were intended to convey a positive message – highlighting the often overlooked economic benefits tigers bring to local communities by generated tourism revenues. One tiger was credited with generating $100 million in revenues over its lifetime so far. A major earner. The TOFT Awards Reception was hosted by the British High Commissioner at his Residency in Delhi.

Photographs by Richard Dikstra and Julian Matthews