And the “Green Oscar” goes to…

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Kenya’s Shivani Bhalla and Dr.

Kenya’s Shivani Bhalla and Dr. Paula Kahumbu were among the runners up of this year’s Whitley Conservation Awards, often dubbed the “Green Oscars” for the scheme’s ongoing commitment to select the globally most deserving conservation project and individual for their honor list.

Last night, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal at the Royal Geographical Society announced to a packed audience that Malaysia’s Melvin Gumal was chosen as the 2014 overall winner of the award, leading 7 other contestants whose names have been put forward.

Melvin Gumal was one of 8 exceptional individuals to have been awarded a share of prize funding worth £280,000 by the Whitley Fund for Nature, winning the Whitley Award for Conservation in Ape Habitats, donated by the Arcus Foundation. Dr. Melvin Gumal, aged 49, has been Director of the Malaysia Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society since 2003. Prior to that he worked with the Sarawak Forest Department for 15 years, where he initiated programs to engage local communities with park management through eco-tourism, guiding, and developing alternative livelihood sources.

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) is the last iconic large mammal left in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, as other large mammals including the Sumatran rhino and the Banteng, a species of wild cattle, are considered extinct, having not been scientifically recorded for more than 30 years. Today orangutan populations are only found in two locations in Sarawak, and Melvin plans to lead a team of researchers and educators to conduct a definitive orangutans survey and undertake conservation education programs with the local Iban communities. Working with the government to develop conservation policies and alongside other agencies such as nature travel groups will increase the likelihood that all stakeholders share a common vision to secure the future of orangutans and their habitats.

From Kenya, Shivani and Paula were in the running and ended up with the 1st runner up and 4th runner up position, respectively, now being able to receive a portion of the 280,000 UKL prize money for their projects “Warrior Watch” and “Hands off our Elephants.”

Kenyans and, in fact East Africans, can be immensely proud to have had two such eminent conservationists among the 8 finalists this year, a sure sign that Kenya’s conservation efforts by individuals and NGOs have been noted by the global conservation fraternity.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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