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Part of a biogas installation, complete with one of the cows which provides the raw material, in the village of Padli, near Ranthambhore. (Photo credit: Martin Wright).

The Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan, India, is the home of the endangered Indian tiger, and demand for fuelwood for cooking in surrounding villages puts great pressure on the park's trees. The Prakratik Society has installed 250 biogas digesters in villages on the park's fringes. The digesters use cattle manure to produce biogas for cooking, and thus save fuelwood. Other important benefits are a cleaner and safer fuel for cooking, and a valuable fertiliser from the digester output.

The Ashden judges found many exemplary features in this project. It provides both a sustainable cooking fuel and protects the local environment. Users are actively involved in the construction and upkeep of the digesters.

Unsustainable use of fuelwood adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thus this biogas project also contributes to the reduction of climate change. The Ashden Award to the Prakratik Society has been generously funded by Climate Care, an organisation which helps companies and individuals to counter their impact on climate change by funding new projects to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.