Why ECO FAWN Society
ECO FAWN Society was founded with a clear and urgent purpose — to protect the natural world while empowering communities to live in harmony with it. Our mission is to safeguard ecosystems, uphold the rights of people who depend on them and promote sustainable and equitable development rooted in environmental justice.
The organization believes that environmental conservation is not merely an ecological duty but a moral and social responsibility. Forests, wildlife and biodiversity are integral to human well-being — they sustain agriculture, regulate climate, purify water and preserve cultural and spiritual values. Yet, these natural systems are under unprecedented pressure due to deforestation, habitat loss, invasive alien species, pollution and unplanned urban expansion.
ECO FAWN Society emerged in this context — as a collective response to the accelerating ecological decline and the weakening connection between people and their environment. Through advocacy, education and community-based initiatives, the Society works to address these challenges at their roots. Our interventions have focused on protecting forest ecosystems, preventing illegal encroachments, promoting biodiversity conservation and raising awareness on issues such as invasive alien weeds that threaten food security, soil health and water resources.
At the community level, ECO FAWN Society promotes environmental literacy, responsible resource use and participatory conservation, enabling people to become stewards of their local ecosystems. At the policy level, we engage with national and international institutions — including the United Nations — to advocate for stronger environmental governance and rights-based approaches to conservation.
In essence, ECO FAWN Society stands at the intersection of science, society and sustainability, bridging grassroots realities with global frameworks. Our mission remains vital to ensuring that development does not come at the cost of nature and that every individual recognizes their shared responsibility in preserving the Earth for future generations.
Accredited with The United Nations
UNCCD
UN ECOSOC
UNEP
In "Special Consultative Status" with UN ECOSOC, since 2017
Accredited "Observer NGO" with UNEP in November 2024
Accredited as "Observer, Conference of the Parties" to the UNCCD 2025
Sai Sampath delivering his statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland
About the Founder
Mettu Sai Sampath
Mettu Sai Sampath is an Indian environmentalist and the founder executive of the ECO FAWN Society. He served as the Honorary Wildlife Warden for the erstwhile Ranga Reddy district in Telangana, appointed by the state government in 2016, where he worked on wildlife protection, anti-poaching measures, habitat conservation and afforestation campaigns.
Sampath has participated in several sessions of the United Nations, where he delivered oral and written statements and organized Side Events on issues including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Environmental justice, biodiversity loss, and human rights violations.
He curated multiple photo exhibitions at the historic Broken Chair, Geneva, highlighting SDG's implementation and its targets, terrorism victims in Jammu and Kashmir and broader human rights concerns.
In 2015, he appeared before the Hon'ble Parliamentary Committee in India, where he brought large scale deforestation in the country with implementation of Forest Rights Act 2006, to the notice of the Committee. The committee concurred with Mr. Sampath's petition and identified an alarming 1.62 million hectares of forest land encroached and recommended corrective measures for reclamation of such encroached forest lands, that Mr. Sampath actively canvassed throughout the country, the Committee presented its Ninth and Eighteenth Reports and subsequently tabled in the Parliament, India. He has also contributed to many parliamentary questions on contemporary issues through legislators in India.
In 2024, he was one of 47 candidates from different countries considered for appointment as the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, a mandate established under Human Rights Council resolution 48/14. The position was ultimately awarded to Elisa Morgera of Italy.
Vision & Mission
At ECO FAWN Society, we believe that authorities and governments are not infallible masters, but partners in progress. Just like citizens, they too can make mistakes, overlook critical gaps, or underestimate the long-term impacts of certain decisions. Our role is not limited to educating the public—we also engage with policymakers, officials, and institutions to highlight contemporary loopholes and oversights in governance, environmental management, and development planning. By offering constructive solutions, we foster a culture of accountability and shared responsibility. Through dialogue, advocacy, and evidence-based recommendations, ECO FAWN enlightens both society and government on how environmental protection can align with human well-being. Together, we strive for sustainable lives and resilient communities, where policy and practice go hand in hand to safeguard forests, wildlife, and future generations.
INTERVENTION: “Stopped authorities from cutting trees and ensured they took responsibility for replantation.”
