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“After being awarded the WhitleyAward I find myself facing theordinary people in the streets, thetown mayor, the Universityauthorities, teachers, and thewhole new generation of biologistsand conservationists thinking "wecan do it". And that feeling is soinspiring for me. I believe that theWhitley Award represents an open door for support, trust andhope for the effort of individualconservationists of any country.”Erika Cuellar, BOLIVIA

Whitley Award 2007

“The Award was a tremendousmorale boost, not only for me, butfor all the team and participatingcommunities. The importance ofour work was no longer just afigment of our imagination, carriedout in isolation, struggling to findways to make conservation work.In the mid-1990s, there were fewcommunity-based conservationprojects in Nigeria. The WhitleyAward validated our work and gaveus worldwide recognition.”Liza Gadsby, NIGERIA

Whitley Award 1996

“The Whitley Award changed mylife. In the ceremony, I said to ThePrincess Royal that I woulddedicate the rest of my life to thisproject. And so I am doing it and I feel very proud and very humblesaying it: we have saved 43species. The Colombian tragedy is that there are 7,500 threatenedspecies – an entire life is notenough for this work. But we havenot stopped working even one dayin this wonderful work that beganwith the Whitley Award.”Alberto Gómez-Mejía, COLOMBIA

Whitley Award 2005

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Welcome to the 15th Anniversary of the Whitley Awardsfor International Nature Conservation. In the 15 years since the first Awardin 1994, the Fund has supported the work of more than 100 conservationleaders in 50 countries. With your help, more than £5 million has beendistributed. Together this network of winners represents an army ofconservationists, all working to help local communities work towards amore sustainable future.

Tonight we will meet another group of determined conservationists fromaround the world who are working against the odds with teamwork,dedication and passion. Our finalists are from Bangladesh, India,Guatemala, Haiti, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, China, Peru and Borneo. Togetherthey are working on a huge range of issues from blue whales, to giantclams, from tapir research to conservation of the Amazon, mangroverestoration to community-based turtle protection.

Conservation is a growing, urgent field of work. There are increasingopportunities for us to work together globally and share lessons learned.The Whitley Award winners are showing us the way and illustrating howrelatively small amounts of funding can make a huge difference to locallyled initiatives. Their achievements are leading to new scientific discoveriesand knowledge, changes in attitude, and significant national and regionalpolicy decisions affecting natural resource use.

Nowhere are the stakes for conservation higher or the challenges greater than in the developing world, but this is also an exciting time of opportunity for conservation. Time and again, Whitley Award winnershave demonstrated how with our support, and with teamwork, we canmake a difference to species and habitats, and the local people who rely upon them.

We are delighted to welcome the 2008 Whitley Award winners.

Edward Whitley

Founder, Whitley Fund for Nature

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s The Whitley Fund for Nature relies on donations for all the grants wedistribute. We keep overheads to the minimum possible whilstmaintaining a professional charity, ensuring at least 90% of each donationreaches people on the ground. WFN is run by a small team equivalent totwo full-time staff and this year we are delighted to announce we haveonce again raised over £1 million. We distribute this funding through three types of grant, from smaller Associate Awards, to our flagship prize– the Whitley Award – and Continuation Funding for our strongestprevious winners (see page 18).

Tonight we will give nine Whitley Awards, and one of these winners willalso be selected by our Judging Panel to win the overall Gold Award, toresult in £60,000 of funding over two years. This is only possible due tothe generous support of our donors.

Conservation is not about one-off grant giving. Though many of ourstrongest winners happily outgrow us and find long-term sources offunding, in the interim we are there for them. We would like to extend aspecial thank you to those of you who have been donors for years,perhaps even from the beginning, and still support us, so we in turn cansupport these effective conservation leaders.

Georgina Ponder

Director, Whitley Fund for Nature

Major Sponsors and Whitley Award DonorsDonations in excess of £30,000

Arcadia

Big Lottery Fund

The William Brake Charitable Trust

Natasha and George Duffield

Paula and Mario Frering

The Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature

The Garfield Weston Foundation

HSBC Holdings Ltd

HSBC Private Bank (UK)

The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation

Lyn and Trevor Shears

Sting and Trudie Styer

The Whitley Animal Protection Trust

WWF-UK

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£5000 and aboveJames and Victoria CorcoranRobert and Ruth MaxtedEski ThomasMadeleine WickhamBBC Wildlife Fund Guy Johnson Charitable Trust Kirby Laing Foundation LJC Fund Ltd. Mactaggart Third Fund WildInvest

up to £5000Sally and Edward BenthallSam and Rosie BerwickFrancis and Helen BromovskyRory and Elizabeth Brooks Catherine and Edward FaulksMichael and Maureen HobbsMark and Sophie LewisohnSimon and Penny LinnettJeremy LloydChristopher and Annie Newell Julia PatonCharles and Ruth PlowdenGregg Sando and Sarah HavensG.C. Charitable Trust The Golden Bottle Trust The Lady More Charitable Trust Anthony Travis Charitable Trust

up to £1000Louise and Vin BhattacharjeeBruno and Christiane BoeschKristina Borsy and Nick TurdeanTimothy and Charlotte Dye Patricia and Ray GallandersEdward and Teleri IliffeAnshu and Geetika JainFrances and Alexis PrennJames and Nicola ReedSir Tim Rice Paul and Jill RuddockRichard and Victoria StrangGiles and Polly Wilson

up to £500Keith and Chippy AbelWendy AcquistapaceCharles and Camilla AlexanderSarah BarbourAnne Beckwith SmithCatkin and David BodmerKatie and Simon BrewerOliver and Karen BrindJohn and Anne Buckens Richard BuxtonMatthew and Francesca CadburyJames and Veronica CarboneThe Earl and Countess of ChichesterGuy and Katie ChristieMichael Cockerell and Anna LloydPaul and Looby CreanPeter and Marianne CulverMark and Charlotte CunninghamJoanna DanielCathy DeanCatherine DoigJohn and Felicity FairbairnDavid and Anne FassStuart FinchChristopher and Sally Fordham Helena FoshWilliam Fox Sally GillespieJan and Jean GustafssonDavid and Gabriele HackworthyMartin and Melanie HallCharles and Elizabeth HandyIan and Deborah HannamPeter and Linda HarperChristopher and Claire HillMark and Vibeke HobbsLord and Lady Hodgson Andrew HuttonJerker and Stephanie JohanssonDavid and Jacqueline Jones-ParryOliver JoryCarol Kemm and Brian WigmoreWilliam KendallChristopher and Dana Kinder

Ian and Aysen LazarusJeffrey and Nicole Lewis-OakesTom and Julie LindsayJohn LorimerAnita Lowenstein and Jonathan DentBridget LubbockElizabeth LudickStephen LudlowBob and Katherine MaguireScott and Laura MalkinHenry and Sara ManistyCharles and Alex MannersAmanda Marmot and Mark TandyPhilip and Karin McDanellIain and Silvy McQuistonBryan and Tara MeehanNeil and Amelia MendozaDavid and Jane MetterJulie MillsBishop and Mrs Douglas MilmineMarion Milne and Richard TurnerTim and Felicia MockettMalcolm and Katherine MoirStephen and Jane MooreDeborah MorrisPhilip and Catherine MouldJames and Karen MulvilleCarol and Jan-Peter OnstwedderChris PackeSarah PalmerIngrid Jacobson PinterJames PonderKeith and Elizabeth PonderAndrea and Hilary PontiSir William and Lady PurvesPatricia RamsayJulia RileyMark and Wendy RobbinsChristina Robert and Barnaby ThompsonEdward and Carol RousselAmanda SaterCharles and Carol SkinnerSusanna SpicerJohn and Helen Spooner

Nigel and Debbie SprayHerman and Anna SpruitPoppy TeacherSally TennantDavid and Marika ThompsonAnthony and Vivien ThompsonBurkhard and Joanna von SchenkAneta WallaceHenrik and Marika WarebornCharles and Susan WhiddingtonPhilip and Amanda WilsonIan WilsonPeter and Sophie WindettNigel and Shane WinserPaul and Madeleine YatesTim Best Travel Cotswold Wildlife Park The O'Hea Charitable Trust The Ultimate Travel Company The Wilson Foundation

Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature

The ‘Friends’ are vital to the momentum and vigour of the charity. They include alldonors who are not Major sponsors or the donors of specific Awards. Many arecommitted volunteers as well as donors – the Whitley Awards would simply nothappen without them! Funds from the Friends are pooled together to support a fullWhitley Award, Continuation Funding and other grants.

We would like to extend our greatest thanks to all our donors, including the manypeople who elected to remain anonymous. On behalf of the winners and everyoneat WFN, thank you for your support.

Catherine Faulks

Chair of the Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature

Donations received between 1st January 2007 and 4th May 2008.

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Every year, we are inspired and humbled by thestandard of conservation work presented to us.Our shortlisted applicants have risen abovepolitical, social and personal challenges in theirfight to conserve threatened environmentsaround the world. All deserve recognition and alldeserve to see their projects and charitableorganisations receive the significant funds whichaccompany the Awards.

We could not administer the Whitley Awardswithout the valuable input of our applicationscreeners and Judging Panel, who offer theirwise advice voluntarily.

Whitley Award Judging Panel and Application Screeners

Stuart Chapman

Programme Director, WWF Greater Mekong ProgrammeAdrian Darby OBE

Former Chairman, Joint Nature Conservation Committee Dr. Glyn Davies

Director of Programmes, WWF-UKCatherine Faulks

Trustee, WFNProfessor Morris Gosling

Evolutionary Biology Group, University of NewcastleJohn Laing

Trustee, WFNSara Morrison

Trustee Emeritus, WWF-UK Georgina Ponder

Director, WFNMark Rose

CEO, Fauna and Flora InternationalFrancis Sullivan

Deputy Head of Group Sustainable Development, HSBCEdward Whitley

Chair of Trustees and Founder, WFN Fina

lists

Finalists

Deepak Apte, India p7

Rodrigo Hucke-Gaete, Chile p8

Zahirul Islam, Bangladesh p9

Denny Kurniawan, Borneo p10

Patrícia Medici, Brazil p11

Carlos Peres, Brazil p12

Ernesto Ráez-Luna, Peru p13

Marleny Rosales-Meda, Guatemala p14

Çağan Şekercioğlu,Turkey p15

Jean Wiener, Haiti p16

Liu Yi, China p17

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The remote reefs and atolls ofLakshadweep off the West coast of Indiaare rich in marine life. Many globallythreatened species such as whale shark,sperm whale, and hawksbill turtle are foundhere. All are understudied, but it is the mostunassuming of them that could hold the keyto understanding this delicate ecosystem. The less than charismatic giant clam is anexcellent indicator species. As sensitiveorganisms, clams are the first to respond toenvironmental change and their presence orabsence shows what is happening in reef

ecology. Where clams are healthy, so too isthe reef.

Lakshadweep also hosts a uniquehuman society completely dependent onthe reef for all their resources. Thematrilineal Muslim tradition of the nativecommunity is characterized by a richindigenous knowledge combined with highliteracy which places minimal value onfinancial capital. Women have a central rolein decision making, and a keen interest inmarine protection, creating a positiveenvironment for conservation. To date the area is unprotected, but there is an opportunity to encourage the co-management of marine protected areasto help protect the giant clam whilstsimultaneously reviving fishery resourcesfor local people.

Indian conservation biologist, Dr. DeepakApte, 43, is an Assistant Director with theBombay Natural History Society. He hasworked to gain the support of the people ofLakshadweep, who understand the futureof the reef and their families are deeplyintertwined. Through two stages ofpractical training – whereby communityfacilitators are trained, and then train others

– Deepak is developing the capacity of over2,000 islanders from the communities ofKavaratti, Agatti and Bangaram to monitorclams and their marine environment. Thenew skills are empowering local people tolead on conservation and secure theirlivelihoods. By demonstrating howprotection leads to more fish, Deepakhopes to generate enthusiasm for India’sfirst interconnected network of MPAs atLakshadweep, which will be good newsboth for the reef and the remarkable peoplewho reply upon it.

Giant Clams and local livelihoods: India’s first networkof marine protected areas, LakshadweepDeepak Apte,

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Blue Whales are the largest animals ever tohave existed on earth. At up to 33 metreslong and 180 tonnes in weight, their sheersize and grace makes Blue Whales idealflagship species for ocean conservation. And yet, until 1966 when international action brought the Blue Whale underprotection, they were killed on a massivescale. With a single whale yielding 120 barrels of oil, in 1931 the slaughterpeaked with nearly 30,000 blue whales killedin one season. After that they became soscarce that whalers turned to other species,but blues have not since recovered theirformer numbers.

Chilean marine ecologist, Dr. RodrigoHucke-Gaete, 33, is founder and President ofthe Blue Whale Centre, dedicated tounderstanding marine ecosystems andthreats to their function. In 2003, Rodrigoheaded a team that discovered one of themost outstanding blue whale feeding andnursing grounds known to exist in theSouthern Hemisphere. Located off Chiloé

Island and the Corcovado Gulf in southernChile, the Blue Whales found here appear tobe thriving, but the exciting discovery wassoon overshadowed by concern. Rapidlyintensifying economic activities threaten this relatively pristine ecosystem, withpollution, the spread of introduced species,over-fishing and industrial maritime traffic all increasing in impact.

For the past six years, Rodrigo and his team have been developing an effectiveconservation strategy for Chile’s blue whalepopulation. Partnered with a range ofinstitutions, they are gaining anunderstanding of blue whale ecologythrough tagging, survey and photo

identification. They are involving localstakeholders proactively in conservation, andwork in schools is changing attitudestowards the ocean. At government level, theteam is using its research to advocate alldevelopment, from salmon farming to whalewatching, is sustainable and integrates theneeds of local fishermen, the mainstakeholders of the coast. Central to thiswork is the establishment of a new Multiple-Use Marine and Coastal Protected Area – thefirst of a network of MPAs new to Chile - toprotect whales from further decline. Long-term Rodrigo hopes to unify global efforts toconserve oceans, not only in Chile but alsoAntarctica and South America.

Blue Whales: The Giants ofMarine ConservationRodrigo Hucke-Gaete,

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Five of the world’s seven marine turtlespecies are found in Bangladesh. However,though given national protection in 2005,Bangladesh’s sea turtles remain at threat.Offshore turtles drown in fishing nets, whilstonshore there is heavy exploitation for turtlemeat and eggs. Human needs in the regionare increasing, putting greater demands oncoastal resources. Indiscriminatedevelopment in the form of hotels, shrimp-farms and roads are compounding habitatloss, whilst the lack of data about the globalsignificance of Bangladesh for turtlesweakens the case for increased protection.

Marine biologist, Zahirul Islam, 39, isDirector of MarineLife Alliance and launchedBangladesh’s first project for theconservation of sea turtles in 1996. Focusingon the 140km coastline of Cox's Bazar, heand his team are working to actively protectturtles through community-led fieldinterventions such as nest protection andmonitoring. He is accumulating evidence ofthe importance of Cox’s Bazar by maintaining

a national database of nestings andstrandings. Through tagging and explorationof turtle migratory routes, Zahriul iscommitted to understanding how toeffectively help the turtles whilst developingways for local people to derive an incomefrom conservation.

Working hand in hand with the fishingfamilies of Cox’s Bazar, Zahriul is spreadingawareness of how people impact wildlifeand helping people live in ways that do notharm turtles. By raising local capacity to leadin conservation, the team is simultaneouslystrengthening unity against poaching andempowering communities to have a say innew developments that threaten theirlivelihoods. Zahriul is now expanding the

project to encompass St. Martin Island,Sonadia Island and Teknaf Peninsular Beach.Key to the project is a new research andeducation centre where people of all agescan come to learn and celebrate theircoastline. To date local people has helpedrelease 15,000 hatchlings into the Bay ofBengal, giving new hope for Bangladesh’ssea turtles.

Sea turtle conservation through working withthe communities of Cox’s BazarZahirul Islam,

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Sebangau National Park was created in 2004to protect 5,500 km2 of tropical peat forest, a globally important carbon store and hometo the largest population of orangutans in thewild. Unfortunately the park was establishedwithout involving local people, leading toconflict and poverty. Governmentintervention in 2005 ended timber extractionalong the Katingan River, but enforcementwas not accompanied by education orlivelihood training. Marginalised by thegovernment, indigenous people remainunclear about how the park designationaffects them. Meanwhile, fires, wildlifeexploitation and deforestation continueunregulated.

Environmental educator, DennyKurniawan, 28, is the Katingan RegionProgramme Coordinator of YayasanCakrawala Indonesia (YCI), an NGO createdin 2000 in response to the disastrousconsequences of mega developmentprojects in Central Kalimantan. Denny leads ateam devoted to developing a collaborative

approach to resource management thatinvolves at its core the wishes andaspirations of local communities. In the eightyears since its inception, YCI has excelled inbringing environmental education to localpeople, training them in fire prevention onpeatland, their rights to land ownership andregistration, and how economicdevelopment can be sustainable.

In 2005, Denny launched an independentpilot project with the communities ofKatingan River to build local capacity torespond to the issues raised bydevelopment. He is bridging the gapbetween government, park managementand local people and open discussions havehelped stakeholders identify their visions for

a sustainable future. YCI is now building onlocal enthusiasm with long-term educationand training projects in the villages ofBaunbango, Gallinggang and Muara Bulan.By empowering communities, Denny israising awareness of local environmentalissues and their affect on village life. Hischief goal is to gain a greater commitmentfrom the government to build stakeholdercooperation, fight poverty, and encouragerealistic law enforcement – but this time,with the full involvement of local people.

Grassroots action for the management oftropical peat forest in Sebangau National ParkDenny Kurniawan,

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Tapirs are unusual mammals; with four toeson their front feet, three on the back, and ashort proboscis, their closest relatives arehorses and rhinos. Their appeal makesthem good ambassadors for conservation,and they are also excellent indicator species– preferring mature forests, their presenceis a good indication of forest quality. Tapirsalso produce only one offspring, every fewyears, making them vulnerable to change.There are four species of tapir and in allareas of the world they are in decline. Alack of tapirs indicates wider threats to theirhabitat, and so tapirs help us understandwhere forests are disturbed, whilsthighlighting areas for protection.

Patrícia Medici, 35, is a foundingmember of the Brazilian NGO IPÊ and hasbeen Chair of the IUCN Tapir SpecialistGroup for eight years. Since 1996, she hasled a long-term tapir conservation programin the Atlantic Forests of Brazil. She hasused tapirs to pique the interest of localcommunities, catalysing habitat

conservation, environmental education andcapacity-building. One of the project’sgreatest achievements has been its workwith landless communities on agro-forestryprojects, restoring critical tapir habitatbased on the results of the team’stelemetry research. The forest corridorshelp the tapirs, whilst linking up habitatfragments for the benefit of all wildlife. Atthe same time they create economicalternatives for families through the sale ofsaplings to landowners.

Patricia is now launching a country-wideTapir Initiative to replicate the success ofher project across Brazil. She will begin inthe Pantanal, a biodiversity hotspot and theworld’s largest freshwater wetland, whichis under threat from development. Using

tapirs to excite local interest, stakeholdersare being welcomed into the project, andtheir aspirations understood. Opportunitiesfor visitors to work side by side with wildliferesearch teams to learn about the Pantanalare being created, providing a financialincentive to ranch owners to protect theirland. If successful, this major initiative willresult in a Regional Tapir Action Plan thatwill address tapir decline, whilst catalysinga shift towards landscape-levelconservation thinking across Brazil.

The Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative: Expandingfrom the Atlantic Forest to the PantanalPatrícia Medici,

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As well as having the fastest rate ofdeforestation in the world, the BrazilianAmazon retains 41% of all remaining tropicalrainforest. The early 21st century finds it at acritical juncture; decisions made in the nextdecade will ultimately seal the fate of theregion. Forest clearance continues in someareas, whilst elsewhere vast tracts are beingdegraded by selective logging, surface fires,fragmentation, overhunting and illegal goldmining. With many reserves protected only‘on paper’, conservation approaches to theAmazon still lack a clear rationale. To avoidwholesale destruction, policy makers mustdecide how best to achieve a compromisebetween economic development andconservation in the expanding area of privateland claims.

Brazilian conservation biologist, Dr. CarlosPeres, 44, is a team leader at the NGOFundação Ecológica Cristalino, and over thelast 20 years has led conservationprogrammes across all nine Amazoniancountries. Carlos argues the Amazon needs

a bigger plan - a network of core reservescombining strict-protection and sustainableuse that are sufficiently large to support a fullcomplement of species and landscape-scaleecological processes. With his team, Carlosplans an innovative approach in one of themost aggressive deforestation frontiersanywhere, the Alta Floresta region of MatoGrosso. The region accounts for 52% of allAmazonian deforestation and leads Brazil insoybean export and cattle ranching. As aresult the landscape is a mosaic of forestfragments and highly degraded areas whereecosystem function is in jeopardy.

Since 2002, the team has worked to establish a collaborative network of 230 landowners controlling holdings of 1 to 100 km2. The next stage is to compare

the real value of different forms of land useby measuring monetary income per km2,biodiversity retention, and ecosystemservices such as the above-ground carbonstock value. The team will pool data from 60 sites based on fieldwork, local interviewsand government statistics to assess thedegree to which different land uses areeconomically and ecologically sustainable inthe long run. Carlos will use powerfuleconomic arguments to persuade local, stateand federal authorities that maintaining largeareas of primary forests makes sense. Thedata will be used to build a land-use planningmodel that can inform landscapemanagement throughout the Alta Florestaregion and elsewhere in the ‘Arc ofDeforestation’.

Trade-offs between biodiversity & land value in the‘Arc of Deforestation’, Amazonian frontierCarlos Peres,

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The heavily forested Tambopata river basinin southeast Peru is a headwater of theMadeira River, the largest Amazon tributary.Long seen as one of Peru's last greatwildernesses, these headwaters are nowunder threat on an unprecedented scale.Four hydro-electric dams will be builtdownstream, causing migratory fishextinctions. The Interoceanic Highway thatwill stretch from Peru's west coast to east

coast of Brazil is being paved across fragilemountain forests. Climbing prices of goldand oil are fuelling a ravaging extractivefever. Faced with such threats, traditional,species-centred approaches to conservationare insufficient to provide effective answers.

Peruvian conservationist, Ernesto Ráez-Luna, 45, has worked on conservation ofupper Madeira since 1985. He coordinatesthe Working Group for the InteroceanicHighway, a collective of 50 NGOsconcerned for how this tide of developmentwill impact local livelihoods. Ernesto isdrawing international attention to the plight

of the Madeira as a global ecosystem. He isbringing local communities and regionalauthorities together to work towards asustainable land-use plan for the upper andlower Tambopata. As the basin falls acrosstwo different Peruvian administrations, thisis an ambitious approach to regionaldevelopment planning and budgeting thathas not been attempted in Peru before.

In the lower basin, streams and lakesthreatened by gold miners will be protected,whilst in the upper basin, small coffee andcitrus growers will be trained in watershed-friendly farming methods. A key role of theteam will be to resolve conflict betweenlocal communities and the Parkadministration, providing technical adviceand workshops to build consensus fordevelopment planning. Above all, Ernesto isdrawing attention to the explicit linksbetween river basins and human health andlivelihoods. His goal is to build a sharedvision that is not anti-development, butwhich mitigates the enormous threatsovertaking one of the world's mostimportant and life-supporting ecosystems.

Ecosystem approach to conservation of theheadwaters of the Amazonian, TambopataErnesto Ráez-Luna,

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Ecosystem approach to conservation of theheadwaters of the Amazonian, Tambopata

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Laguna Lachuá National Park, a vast tropicalwetland area, is one of the most biodiversity-rich regions of Guatemala. 49 indigenousMaya-Q´eqchi´ communities live here,dependent on the resources in and aroundthe National Park. Many are survivors ofGuatemala’s 36 year civil war and weredisplaced from their original lands.Traditionally self-reliant, the Maya-Q´eqchi´have a subsistence economy based mainlyon agriculture and the use of wildlife andother forest products. Hunting is an ancestralpractice that as well as providing qualityprotein eliminates problem animals thatdamage crops. 15 species of mammals and24 species of birds are hunted for domesticconsumption.

Wildlife biologist, Marleny Rosales-Meda,28, leads a team working on Guatemala'sfirst long-term study of subsistence huntingin the unique culture of the Maya-Q´eqchi´.The recent conflict and now the CentralAmerica Free Commerce Treaty havejeopardised traditional ways of life, and

demand for resource extraction is increasing. Marleny's Participative BilingualEnvironmental Education Program (PBEEP)is helping create a future where indigenouspeople are proud of their identity, aware oftheir rights and actively in control ofmanagement of their lands. Since 2000, the team has carried out ethno-biologicalresearch which has revealed hunting, done in the traditional way, favours anappropriate use of wildlife. Marleny believesthat this understanding of wise-use can benurtured to develop effective conservationapproaches in the region at a time when people are losing touch with theirindigenous roots

On the invitation of 19 Mayan-Q´eqchi´communities, PBEEB was launched to

establish a hunting management systemadministered entirely by local people. A keyaim is to reinstate methods of hunting –such as avoiding species during theirbreeding seasons - that are sustainable inthe long term. Local people are beingencouraged to share their knowledge,spiritual practices and to celebrate theirindigenous identity. This innovative pilotproject aims to help protect the National Parkand local livelihoods by training people inresource management, whilst improvingtheir ability to work with governmentauthorities. Inevitably, change is coming toGuatemala, but thanks to Marleny and herteam, the Maya-Q´eqchi´ are increasinglyequipped to face the future together.

Sustainable forest use and subsistence hunting forindigenous Maya-Q´eqchi´ communities, Lachuá]Marleny Rosales-Meda,

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Kuyucuk Lake in northeast Kars province lieswithin one of the least developed but mostecologically important regions of Turkey, anarea degrading rapidly in response to humanpressures. Found at the convergence of theCaucasus and Irano-Anatolian biodiversityhotspots, the lake is critical to both birds andthe rural communities who live close to the2.2km2 lake. With winter temperatures

reaching -50oC and an income of less than£400 per person per year, mile-high Kars is aharsh and timeless place, where summersare for stockpiling wheat, hay, and dung forfuel to survive the winter.

In this forbidding landscape ofovergrazed steppe, Lake Kuyucuk is abeacon of life and the region’s mostimportant wetland. With over 30,000 birdsof 161 species, Kuyucuk is key habitat forglobally Endangered White-headed Duckand Egyptian Vulture. The waterfowl are notdirectly disturbed by locals, but outsidershunt illegally and poach raptors for falconry.Constant overgrazing by hundreds oflivestock removes all the grass and most of the reeds. The spring water whichfeeds the lake is diverted for cows.

There is an urgent need for a locally-basedconservation program that benefits thevillagers and restores Kuyucuk to its true glory.

Community-based conservation, restorationand bird-tourism at Kuyucuk LakeÇağan Şekercioğlu,

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Turkish conservationist Dr. Çagan ekercioglu, 32, initiated the Kars Biodiversity Project in 2003. Under the umbrella of local NGO Kuzeydoga Society, he is working at all levels, lobbying the government to increase protection and gain international RAMSAR recognition for Lake Kuyucuk. His holistic approach, the only example of its kind in Turkey, is introducing simple solutions that protect the wetland whilst bringing real benefits to local people. Students from primary to graduate level are being taught in the field, nurturing the next generation of custodians. Paths for birdwatchers open the possibility for significant contributions to the local economy whilst protecting nesting birds. A buffer zone around the wetland is reducing erosion whilst drinking points limit damage by livestock. The project’s emphasis on youth has energized the local desire for stewardship and has hit a live nerve in Kars to take control of the future of this special wetland.

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As recently as 1925, the nation of Haiti waslush, with 60% of its original forest stillintact. Since then all but an estimated 1% oforiginal forest cover has been logged toproduce charcoal, the country's primarysource of fuel, with a devastating effect onlocal communities. Deforestation hasdestroyed fertile farmland soils and led toerosion, which in turn has caused flooding,coastal sedimentation and pollution.Agricultural chemicals are swept into theocean, all of which kills fish, reducing theability for communities to feed themselves.Haiti still retains a high biodiversity inproportion to its small size, but despiteattracting international funding, reforestationefforts to date have failed.

Local Haitian, Jean Wiener, 43, foundedFoProBiM in 1992, Haiti’s only NGOdedicated to protection of the coastal andmarine environment. This practical projectprovides educational activities and directinterventions to address the needs of localcommunities. Along with awareness raising,

conflict resolution, workshops andassociation building, FroProBiM offerstraining in community leadership and haseffectively engaged over 2,500 stakeholders.Empowerment is a key goal, providing localswith the means to begin the management oftheir environmental resources to create abetter future for their families.

Overfishing is a crucial issue andFoProBiM has already succeeded inproducing an abridged Créole version of theHaitian fisheries laws, distributing them tomore than 5,000 people. Haiti’s first andsecond artificial reefs have been created tohelp aid the recovery of fish, whilst mooringbuoys have been installed to reduce anchordamage to corals. Mangroves are beingreplanted, whilst exploring real alternatives

to charcoal production for fuel. The teamnow aims to increase the options for incomegeneration to alleviate poverty whilstprotecting the environment, and to designateHaiti’s first marine reserve, co-managed bylocal stakeholders.

Education, capacity building and actionfor people and environmentJean Wiener,

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Mangroves are special salt-loving trees thatplay a significant role in ocean ecology. Their roots stabilise coastlines while alsoproviding important marine habitat foreconomically important fish and migratorybirds. Mangroves also give natural coastalprotection to millions of people by protectingbeaches from waves and hurricanes.However, in China as elsewhere in theworld, these important forests are being cutdown for firewood and coastal development. In just 50 years, 70% of China’s mangroveforests have been lost. Globally, the loss issignificant, with two ciritcally endangeredmangrove species found only in China.

Conservation campaigner, Liu Yi, 26, is Chairman of the China MangroveConservation Network (CMCN) and HonoraryDirector of the Greenwild Association ofXiamen University. In 2001, he founded theChina Mangrove Protection Project to helpprotect the mangroves of all five provincesof South-eastern China. With his team, Liu Yipromotes a diverse range of projects

involving research, rehabilitation, education,community development and training. Hisgoal is to raise public awareness of the needto restore and protect mangroves, not onlyfor the benefit of wildlife, but also toincrease coastal protection, and at the sametime get thousands of people involved inconservation.

In the past six years, 16 projects havebeen launched by the CMCN and more than40 NGOs, volunteer groups, coastalcommunities, schools, and researchinstitutes have joined the network. 200,000students have taken part in the SustainableDevelopment Education programmes and3,000 volunteers have contributed to thereforestation of more than 150,000mangrove trees. The scope of the project isremarkable and Liu Yi is now eager toexpand his work across the rest of China,harnessing grassroot support to catalyse anation-wide understanding of the need toprotect China’s mangroves.

The China Mangrove Protection ProjectLiu Yi,China

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Continuation Funding Winners 2007-2008

Randall Arauz, Action for sharks, Costa Rica

Gargi Banerji, Sustainable use of medicinal and aromatic plants, Himalayas, India

Sergei Bereznuk, Amur tiger and leopard conservation, Primorye, Russia

Achilles Byaruhanga & Kerryn Morrison, Crane and wetland conservation, Uganda

Gerardo Ceballos, Biosphere reserve for the prairie-dog grassland ecosystem, Mexico

Didiher Chacón-Chaverri, The Caribbean Leatherback Sea Turtle Alliance, Costa Rica

Lynn Clayton, The Nantu Forest Conservation Programme, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Laury Cullen, Jaguars as landscape detectives for the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Daniela Hamidovic, Conservation of the Longfingered Bat and Karstic habitat, Croatia

Charudutt Mishra, People and snow leopards in the Himalayan high altitudes, India

Andrés Novaro, Long-term conservation of the Patagonian and Andean Steppe, Argentina

Claudio Padua, Black-faced lion tamarins: implementing a Species Action Plan, Brazil

Rom Whitaker, Agumbe rainforest research station and education centre, W. Ghats, India

We stay in close touch with our winners,offering support, contacts and advice. When funding allows, the most successfulare invited to reapply to us after theconclusion of their Whitley Award work andonce their final report has been received andassessed by our screeners.

This ‘Continuation Funding’, which this yearranged from grants of £15,000 to £60,000,allows us to continue our link between you and these extraordinary people. Having started their relationship with usworking at a local level, many of our winnershave now emerged as national figures withincreasing influence to effect change in theircountries. We are proud to have contributedto their success.

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Over the last four years we have alsodeveloped a category of Associate Awards forleaders who though not quite ready to beinvited to interview, are doing great work thatshould be encouraged. Associate Awardsallow us to broaden our support of grassrootsnature conservationists who, though relativelyearly stage, are already doing excellent workaround the world. Small grants of up to£10,000 give them the ‘leg-up’ they need toexpand their projects and we stay in touchwith them as they progress. Last year, Sandra Bessudo was the first AssociateAward winners to successfully reapply for thefull Whitley Award, illustrating the value ofthese small grants.

We would like to thank…

James and Victoria Corcoran, Robert andRuth Maxted, Christopher and Annie Newell,The LJC Fund, HSBC Holdings Plc andWildInvest …for their support of the

Associate Awards 2007 to 2008.

Continuation Funding To support our most effective winners

Associate Awards To fund the next generation of Whitley Award Winners

Associate Award Winners 2008

Mathew Akon – A legislated Conservation Area in the Torricelli Mountain Range, Papua New Guinea

Diego Amorocho – Sea Turtle Conservation in Protected Areas of the Colombian Pacific, Colombia.

Angela Maldonado – A Participatory Conservation Strategy for the Calderon Basin of the Amazon, Colombia

Rebecca Pradhan – Community-led conservation of critically endangered White-bellied Heron, Bhutan

Xin Yang – The environmental impact of the dam submerged area of the Upper Yangtze, China

Associate Award Winners 2007

Jorge Angula-Valdes – Effectiveness of a National Marine Park in providing fishery sustainability, Cuba

Gustavo Chiaramonte – Protecting Nursery Grounds for Threatened Sharks, Argentina

Archana Godbole – Revival of traditional forest conservation in northern Western Ghats, India

Mirza Kusrini – Frog conservation education and research in West Java, Indonesia

Biswajit Mohanty – Community-based conservation of freshwater turtles of the Mahanadi river, India

Brad Norman – Whale shark conservation monitoring and the move to ecotourism, India & Taiwan

Lizette Siles – Bat Conservation and Community Education Project, Bolivia

Hammerskjoeld Simwinga – Conservation through Sustainable Rural Development in North Luangwa, Zambia

Bibiana Vilá – Building capacities for wild vicuña conservation, Argentina

“The new Qinghai-Tibetan railwayand its impact on the fragile high-altitudes has attracted muchattention, but conservation fundshave always been scarce withinChina. Without the AssociateAward, our work would not havehappened. We have recruitedvolunteers to start a project on the train, urging tourists to beresponsible. We are workingwhere no-one else is working and no-one else is funding.” Xin Yang, CHINA

Associate Award 2006

“The positive impact we receivedwas as much from the publicity asit was from the funds. The presscoverage facilitated ourinteractions with governmentofficials and representatives fromthe hydrocarbon and miningcompanies, key stakeholders in theareas where we work. They simplytook us more seriously after theAward!” Andrés Novaro, ARGENTINA

Whitley Award 2005

“It would not be an exaggeration tosay winning the Whitley Awardwas the proudest day of myprofessional life. I still rememberall kinds of tiny details of thatafternoon. Even now, eleven yearslater in my ongoing bearconservation work, I continue to try to live up to the inspiringstandard set by other winners. And it’s a tall order.”Susanna Paisley, BOLIVIA

Whitley Award 1997

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Whitley Fund for Nature team

Georgina Ponder

DirectorAnnabel Lea

ManagerJulia Mizen

Finance Officer

Awards Ceremony team

Mandy Duncan-Smith

Awards Ceremony OrganiserCaroline Clark

Production ManagerTony Hare

Presentation training

Whitley Fund for Nature Trustees

Sir David AttenboroughCatherine FaulksJohn LaingEdward Whitley

The Whitley Awards Ceremony is

supported by

The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation

Film Sponsorship

This year we have created a short film tomark 15 years of the Whitley Awards. We would like to thank Eski Thomas for hergenerous support in the making of this film.All of the music you will hear tonight hasalso been composed specially for WFN, withfull right of ownership, enabling us for thefirst time to show the films on our website.

Acknowledgements

Press and PR

Pam BeddardEvent Management

Media NaturaGraphic Design

DesignRaphael LtdPhotography

Alex LloydFilms

Charles DaviesComposer

James Dorman

Printed on 9lives Offset paperThis material is totally chlorine free (TCF)which means no chlorine has been used tobleach the pulp used in its manufacture. It is100% FSC Certified post consumer waste,meeting the Forest Stewardship CouncilChain of Custody audit certification.

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