Nominations for Rhino Conservation Awards now open

[Toko]

Nominations have now opened for the Rhino Conservation Awards 2015.

Nominations are invited from all African rhino range states, in categories including; Best Field Ranger, Best Conservation Practitioner, Best Political and Judicial Support, Best Science Research and Technology, and Best Awareness, Education or Funding. The additional Special Youths category honours youngsters that have taken action against poaching.

The Awards have been held annually since 2012, and serve to recognise those incredible individuals and organisations that have made an effort to protect Africa’s rhino population. Every action, no matter how small, contributes to the overall conservation of these majestic animals.

The sponsors, Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH of the ZEISS Group and Ms Xiaoyang Yu, founder partner of China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI), are looking forward to receiving nominations from across Africa. Dr Larry Hansen, founder of the Awards, opened the nominations by stating that; “We want to celebrate the individuals and organisations that are assisting us in highlighting the plight of the rhino, increasing the capture and prosecution of poachers, reducing the demand for rhino horn and protecting a species from extinction.”

The Awards ceremony will take place on the Monday, 27 of July and will be held in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa and the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA) - a non-profit organisation with a membership of over 1500 across Africa, many of whom are rangers active in anti-poaching activities.

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco serves as the Patron of the Rhino Conservation Initiative and the Rhino Conservation Awards, being committed to the protection of species dangerously close to extinction, through the support of his Foundation to various preservation projects. HSH Prince Albert will be attending the 2015 Awards ceremony and will deliver the keynote address.

Nominations can be made by and/or on behalf of any person or organisation that has played a part in rhino conservation, on any scale. Nomination forms can be requested from Janyce Dalziel at janyce@currintevents.co.za , or downloaded from the GRAA's website.

The Rhino Conservation Awards website will go live shortly, where nomination forms will also be available. Once nominations are closed on the Monday, 1 of June, an executive committee will review all nominations and draw up a short-list for the winners to be chosen from. A panel of adjudicators will then identify the winners and runners up in each category.

“Nature conservation is a global issue and it is about the protection of species and their local habitats. Nature conservation is run and organised by dedicated, dynamic people,” says Dr Winfried Scherle, chief executive officer of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. "It is essential that these conservation heroes are recognised for their efforts, their sacrifices and their dedication to protecting the rhino."

"It must be ensured that the true heroes in the fight against rhino poaching are nominated and subsequently honoured for their contribution to Africa’s war on rhino poaching. The debt owed to these dedicated and brave conservationists and their families can never be repaid," he adds.

[Richprins]

We should nominate someone!

[Mel]

Need to tag this in order to find it again to be able to check the website again.

[nan]

will wait until you write a little bit more... to understand what it return

[Flutterby]

Allison Thompson for Best Awareness?

[Richprins]

Absolutely, Flutts!

[Toko]

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?o ... Itemid=188

Rhino conservation award winners announced

Written by defenceWeb, Thursday, 30 July 2015


The heroic actions of those that fight for the conservation of the rhino were recently acknowledged, celebrated and rewarded at the Rhino Conservation Awards on 27 July.

Prince Albert II of Monaco, Patron of the Awards, delivered the keynote address at the event at the Montecasino Ballroom, and was presented with the Grand Patron Award by Dr Michael Kaschke, Carl Zeiss President and Chief Executive Officer.

The annual Rhino Conservation Awards, which were founded by Dr Larry Hansen, are held in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) of South Africa and the Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA). Co-founder of the Awards, Ms Xiaoyang Yu, Founder Partner of China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI), co-sponsored the Awards with Zeiss. The Awards were held in the same week as World Ranger Day, which is celebrated on 31 July.

Nominations for the Awards were invited from African rhino range states. The winner in the Best Field Ranger category was Patrick Mwita. With intense knowledge of the black rhino population in the Southern Serengeti, Patrick effectively monitors the animals and has also bravely averted armed poaching attempts. He spends an extraordinary amount of time on extended patrols to ensure the safety of this critical population of Tanzania’s remaining black rhino. The first and second runners up in this category were William Ndobe (local legend in the Kruger National Park [KNP] with 31 years of service) and Jeoffrey Kubayi (KNP field ranger, dog handler, tracker and poaching incursion detector), a post-awards statement said.

Black Mamba APU won the Best Conservation Practitioner category. This Anti-Poaching Unit, which consists of 26 women, conducts anti-poaching operations and focuses on educating the communities surrounding the Balule Nature Reserve in Limpopo in the benefits of conservation and rhino protection. Runners up were Don English (in charge of general conservation as well as rhino protection in the KNP’s region with the highest density of rhino) and Bruce Leslie (Regional Ranger Special Operations, revolutionising tactical rhino anti-poaching operations in the KNP).

Taking the win in the Best Political and Judicial Support category was King Mswati III, the King of Swaziland who has played a pivotal role in the protection of wildlife and, especially, the rhino. Swaziland's anti-poaching success rate is incredible in the current climate with only three rhinos lost since 1992, and none in the last 12 months. The strong support and backing of the Game Amendment Act and Swaziland's rangers by His Majesty is what strengthens anti-poaching and rhino conservation in Swaziland, the awards ceremony statement said.

Second place was awarded to both Adv Isabet Erwee (national record for the highest sentence ever handed down in a rhino poaching matter) and Adv Ansie Venter (appointed as one of the Specialised Prosecutors, Organised Crime, Mpumalanga responsible for prosecuting rhino poaching cases). The third place in the category was awarded to Mario Scholtz (responsible for the investigation of rhino poaching related aspects in SANParks).

The winner of the Best Science, Research and Technology category was Dr Jacques Flamand. Dr Flamand heads up the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, which aims to increase growth and numbers of black rhino, working with a diverse group of land-owners to secure the necessary sites for translocation. The project is largely responsible for black rhino numbers in KwaZulu-Natal increasing by 49%. The runners up were Dr Johan Marais (responsible for performing surgery on poached rhino to save their lives by creating mask moulds for the exposed nasal cavity, protecting the opening long enough for healing to occur) and Piet Beytell (Principle Conservation Scientist for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism [MET], Namibia).

In the Best Awareness, Education or Funding category, Elise Daffue won the Award. Elise is the founder of StopRhinoPoaching.com that has an international and national footprint, focusing on funding of security initiatives and ranger support. Elise was instrumental in establishing strategic stakeholder relations on a national and regional scale for the implementation of efficient operational protective measures countering the threat of rhino poaching.

Second and third place went to Unite Against Poaching (a fundraising initiative established by Unitrans Volkswagen through its participating dealerships) and the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF works closely with the South African Government, SANParks and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife as part of its multifaceted Rhino Protection Programme).