Baraza

It is with great pleasure that we circulate this announcement

LONDON, UK: 13 MAY 2009 – HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) tonight presented one of the world’s top prizes for grassroots nature conservation – a Whitley Award – to Dino J. Martins, of Kenya, for his work to improve local understanding of, and win greater protection for, the pollinators which underpin farming in and around the Great Rift Valley and Taita Hills.  

Harvard PhD Fellow, Dino Martins, received his award during a ceremony held at the Royal Geographical Society, London, by The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) – the UK-based charity which administers the international awards programme.

His prize includes a Whitley Award project grant of £30,000 – donated by The William Brake Charitable Trust – an engraved trophy, membership of an influential network of Whitley Award winners and international profile-raising opportunities.  

The award to Dino Martins recognises his work with the East Africa Natural History Society (celebrating its centenary this year), to let small-scale farmers know about the vital role insects play in pollinating crops and encourage them to adopt conservation-friendly methods of agriculture. 

The event’s top prize, the £60,000 Whitley Gold Award, went to another African: Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, of Uganda, for a health and conservation programme in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is helping local villagers and their wildlife neighbours – endangered mountain gorillas – by reducing the cross-infection risks that result from people/ape contact and their DNA similarities.

Her Royal Highness also presented four other £30,000 Whitley Awards to conservation leaders from Bulgaria, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Commenting on Dino Martins’s success, Edward Whitley, who founded the fund and chaired the judging panel, said: “The aim of the Whitley Awards is to find and support conservation scientists whose vision, passion, determination and qualities of leadership mean they are achieving inspirational results in conservation.  In Dino’s case, the judges were especially impressed by the excellent example this project provides of the interdependence of plants, insect pollinators and people in areas often overlooked for their biodiversity value and which grow important quantities and varieties of fruit, flowers and vegetables for Kenya and many other markets.”

The ceremony at which Dino Martins received his accolade was co-hosted by BBC wildlife presenter Kate Humble and held in front of a 400-strong audience that included embassy representatives, donors and leading environmentalists.

Another Kenyan, Leonard Akwany, is also being helped by WFN this year. He has been granted a £10,000 Associate Award for a nature conservation project that will also improve livelihoods at the Lake Victoria Wetland.

WELL DONE DINO!!!