2010 Whitley Awards

Leadership in Conservation

“The Whitley Fund for Nature is a truly unique organisation. It doesn’tput its own people on the ground but seeks out local leaders whoare already succeeding, backing solutions long before larger NGOshave begun to respond. It puts its money where it really counts,where every penny counts.“Sir David Attenborough, Trustee.

Welcome to the 17th Annual Whitley Awards for International NatureConservation. With each passing year, the breadth of WFN’s impact grows as we againconnect with a new generation of conservationists from around the world. In 1994, ourfounding year, we recognised just a single winner, awarding £15,000. This year, we have 8 finalists working in 5 continents and tonight will award conservation funding of £270,000. In the 16 years in between, WFN has awarded more than £6 million in funding to supportmore than 100 conservation leaders in 55 countries.

Such expansion has necessitated that WFN also grow as an organisation. In this past year, we have moved out of the old shed and into new, fully equipped offices, and have brought ina new member of staff to enable us to help manage our ever growing network of winners.

Whitley Award winners are all trailblazers, and WFN is driven and inspired by them to continue to show leadership in the conservation sector through focused, effective grant giving.

The winners who join our growing network tonight are already leaders in their fields, theirexpertise recognised locally and respected regionally. With our help and through therecognition that comes with winning a Whitley Award, we hope that their influence will nowextend internationally. This year we have finalists from Uruguay, Russia, Papua New Guinea,Argentina, Uganda, Cameroon, and two from Colombia. They are effective because theyunderstand local culture, they know what needs to be done, and with leadership they knowhow to get it done. Together, their work covers a wide range of issues and, although theirbackgrounds differ, they are all united by their determination to make a difference to thewildlife, habitats and local communities who share the same space and resources.

Tonight, each Whitley Award winner will receive £30,000 of funding to support their projectwork over the coming year. Additionally, the most outstanding will receive the Whitley GoldAward and a second year of funding, totalling £60,000.

This year of growth has also seen WFN refocus and enhance the provision of ContinuationFunding to previous winners of the Whitley Award whose outstanding work merits ongoingsupport. Winning a Whitley Award is never a one-off event. We stay in constant contact with our winners, helping them where we can to boost the impact, reach and influence oftheir work. In the last 4 years we have given more than £1.5 million to further the work of 27 Whitley Award winners in 20 countries. As another year passes, these figures willcontinue to grow.

Please join us in welcoming the Whitley Award Winners for 2010. WEL

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Edward Whitley

Chair, Whitley Fund for Nature

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Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your kind donations, particularly in the run up to thisAwards Ceremony. Every contribution matters and is pooled togetherto help us reach our annual target of a Whitley Award donated by theFriends of WFN and, if we continue to receive donations followingthe Ceremony, a Continuation Funding Award as well!

Since the last Ceremony, a new Friends committee has been formedand has been helping greatly in galvanising our fundraising efforts. I do hope the new Friends booklet which you received with yourinvitation has shown how effective the work of WFN is and why alldonations count.

We are hugely indebted to all our donors, including the many peoplewho elect to remain anonymous. On behalf of all the winners and theWFN team, thank you for your support.

Catherine Faulks

Chair of the Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature THAN

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School conservation club, Southern Uganda

Over £5,000The Golden Bottle Trust Kirby Laing Foundation

up to and including £5,000Edward and Sally BenthallRory and Elizabeth BrooksCatherine and Edward FaulksChristopher and Annie NewellLisbet Rausing and Peter BaldwinGregg Sando and Sarah HavensDavid and Tanya SteynJohn and Ann-Margaret WaltonG.C.Gibson Charitable Trust The Ronald Miller Foundation LJC Fund Ltd Spearpoint Ltd

up to and including £1,000Simon and Pamela CraneMichael and Marianne de GiorgioMichael and Maureen HobbsSimon and Penny LinnettJeremy and Britta LloydBruce and Margaret MacFarlaneMartin and Elizabeth MorganAlliance Bernstein Ltd The Lady More Charitable Trust

up to and including £500Vin and Louise BhattacharjeeSimon and Kathryn BrewerFrancis and Helen BromovskyGuy and Katie ChristieRobert and Beth HeathcoteEdward and Teleri IIliffeMark and Sophie LewisohnJames and Juliet CameronRichard OldfieldElizabeth and Keith PonderJames PonderFrances and Alexis PrennRichard and Victoria Strang

£300David and Jane ButterRichard BuxtonCharles and Sarah FairbairnChristopher and Sally Fordham Carol and Jan-Peter Hamcke-OnstwedderIan and Deborah HannamPeter and Linda HarperJayne HufschmidElizabeth and Roderick JackWilliam KendallDana KinderHenry and Sara Manisty

David and Sarah MelvilleBishop Douglas and Mrs MilmineEdward and Carol RousselCharles and Carol SkinnerPeter and Jennifer TahanyAnthony ThompsonHenrik and Marika WarebornSean and Anne-Marie WilliamsSophie WindettMadeleine YatesCotswold Wildlife Park Rowney Trust

A special thank you toLarge Blue who edited the films you will seetonight at a charity rate using only footage shot bythe winners themselves and their partners.Dr. Alison Cook who very kindly donated her time to coach the Whitley Award winners inspeaking tonight.Gianni Alen-Buckley for donating her wonderful west eleven cocktailsthis evening. 5

Major Sponsors and Whitley Award Donors

Donations in excess of £30,000Major Sponsors

ArcadiaHSBC Holdings LtdThe Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation The Whitley Animal Protection Trust

Project Partnerships

Big Lottery Fund

Friends DonationsReceived between 29th April 2009 and 30th April 2010

Whitley Award Donors

The William Brake Charitable TrustNatasha and George DuffieldThe Friends of the Whitley Fund for NatureThe Garfield Weston FoundationHSBC Private Bank (UK)Lyn and Trevor ShearsWildInvestWWF-UKO

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Mathew Akon PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Louis Nkembi CAMEROON

Susana González González URUGUAY

Pablo Borboroglu ARGENTINA

ngela Maldonado gelaagngelAngOLOMBIAOLOOLCCO

Diego AmorochoochoCOLOMBIAO

Jimmy Muheeuhemmy M heebwa mm a my MuuhMuUGANDAANDAND

yuk kKirilyuiVadim ARUSSIA

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s Judging ProcessWe use our growing network of previous winners toreach out and find some of the world’s most effectivegrassroots conservationists. We receive 80 –100applications a year, which pass through four stages ofassessment. At every stage we rely on the valuableinput of our application screeners and Judging Panel,who offer their expertise voluntarily.

End October ‘09 Deadline for applicationsNovember ‘09 Stage 1 Eligibility screen endsJanuary ‘10 Stage 2 Scoring stage ends March ‘10 Stage 3 Judging Panel meeting to

decide finalists10th May ‘10 Stage 4 Finalist interviews

The standard of conservation work taking place around the world is is always inspiring. Congratulationsto all the finalists who all deserve to be here and have already achieved so much.

Whitley Award Judging Panel

Dr. Ros Aveling

Deputy Chief Executive, Fauna and Flora InternationalErika Cuellar

Whitley Award Winner 2007Dr. Glyn Davies

Director of Programmes, WWF-UKGeorgina Domberger

Director, WFNCatherine Faulks

Trustee, WFNFrancis Sullivan

Deputy Head of Group Sustainable Development, HSBCEdward Whitley

Chair of Trustees and Founder, WFN

Application Screeners

Georgina Domberger

Director, WFNJohn Laing

Vice Patron, WFNDr. Charudutt Mishra

Whitley Award Winner 2005Dr. Mark Wright

Conservation Science Advisor, WWF-UK

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Angela Maldonado (Associate Award Winner 2008) is Project Director ofFundacion Entropika, an NGO working forthe long-term conservation of the ColombianAmazon through community led educationand research.

The Colombia-Peru-Brazil tri-border area is one of the most culturally diverseareas in Amazonia and makes up part of the largest continuous tropical forest onEarth. However, illegal trade in wildlife andtimber occurs here on an alarming scale,posing a real threat to biodiversity andimpacting the communities who rely on theforests to survive.

Night monkeys are Amazonia’s onlynocturnal primates. Traditionally captured andeaten by local communities, these monkeysare also sold to the pet trade. Today,however, the majority of those captured areillegally traded to Colombian laboratories forbiomedical research. As well as decimatingwild night monkey populations, the tradeoccurs across borders and provides

significant income to only a small number ofpeople. During 2007-2008, some 4,000 nightmonkeys were traded, generating a value ofover US$100,000. However, indigenouscollectors receive less than 10% of theserevenues and the new trade demands alsodisrupt traditional resource use in a way thatis drastically affecting people’s livelihoods.

Working in the region since 1998, Angela has already successfully engagedindigenous communities in Colombia tosignificantly reduce the hunting of otherprimate species. She is now seeking toadapt her previous success to target thedrivers of the illegal trade in night monkeys.

Recognising that progress can only beachieved if stakeholders receive a benefit

from conservation, Angela is workingalongside local collectors to identifyalternative, sustainable activities tosubstitute income from wildlife trade.

Combining science with traditionalecological knowledge, monitoring methodsalready implemented by indigenousColombian communities are now beingtransferred to neighbouring Peruviancommunities where primate extraction ismost intensive.

“Currently, we have the only dataavailable about the night monkey populationsin the tri-border area. Local traders andcollectors from four Peruvian indigenouscommunities have been doing census fieldwork with the Entropika team since 2009. As a result, now they have decided to stopthe capture of night monkeys.”

Angela’s project is single handedly raisingawareness of the need to reinforceinternational wildlife trade regulations inColombia, using these charismatic monkeysas a flagship species for wider habitatconservation. Simultaneously her team isempowering local communities to protecttheir natural resources, and their traditionalway of life.

Participatory conservation to address the illegal trade of nightmonkeys for biomedical research, Colombian-Peruvian border.Angela Maldonado

Colombia

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Dr. Diego Amorocho (Associate AwardWinner 2008) is Founder and Director of theCentro De Investigacion Para El ManejoAmbiental Y El Desarrollo (CIMAD), an NGOestablished in 2003 to protect endangeredsea turtles and their habitats throughcommunity education, training, andlivelihood development. With over 20 years’experience, Diego is one of South America’sleading turtle researchers and a trueconservation pioneer.

Thousands of turtles are killed inColombian waters each year, caughtincidentally on hooks or in nets, or as atraditional source of protein. Under thesepressures, green, olive ridley, hawksbill and leatherback turtle numbers aredeclining rapidly; coupled with thedestruction of beach nesting sites, sea turtles are facing extinction.

CIMAD’s approach to marineconservation puts people’s needs at theheart of all activities. Diego explains: “Local people are heavily reliant on fishing

to support their families… I realised that ifyou want to protect turtles for the future,you have to work with people.”

Diego’s team is successfully changinglocal attitudes and raising awareness of theimportance of conservation, whilst teachingartisanal fisherman ways to reduce turtle bycatch. The introduction of turtle-friendlyfishing practices, including special hooksand devices to help free trapped turtles,allow fishermen to catch more of whatthey’re really aiming for: “Local peopleacknowledged the benefits of conservationwhen they noticed that changing fishinggear is not only saving turtles but also

increasing the size and value of target fish.”CIMAD also teaches ‘turtle first aid,’

enabling fishers to treat and release caughtturtles, rather than killing them for theirmeat and shells or to recover valuablehooks. Turtles needing specialist care aretaken by fishermen to CIMAD’s Sea TurtleRehabilitation Centre, which also offerscommunity education, from basic literacy tomentoring the next generation ofconservation scientists. Turtles releasedfrom the Centre are satellite tagged, thedata analysed and learning publicisedinternationally; local schoolchildren enthusedby learning about the turtles on theirdoorstep now follow the migration online.

Generating new local businesses is alsoimportant. In an initiative led by fishermen’swives, plastic litter cleared from beaches isbeing turned into hand-woven bags and hatsfor sale, preserving turtle nesting sites andboosting incomes.

Now Diego is working towards theimplementation of a Pacific regional actionplan to secure a long-term future for turtles,coupled with an ambitious socio-economicprogram designed to offset the cost tofishermen of releasing turtles.

Community action for the conservation of sea turtles andtheir marine habitats in the Colombian PacificDiego Amorocho

Colombia

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Jimmy Muheebwa is Project Manager ofNature Uganda’s Crane and WetlandConservation Project. Receiving over 60 inches of rain per year, the wetlands ofSouthern Uganda form part of the catchmentof Lake Victoria and are an importantecosystem for both biodiversity and thecommunities who surround them.

In recent decades as human populationhas risen, the wetlands have becomedegraded and fragmented, with large areasdrained and converted for agriculture andlivestock production. Wildlife has declined,and worst affected has been the GreyCrowned Crane – The National Bird ofUganda. Loss of breeding grounds and foodsources have seen populations decline by80% over the past 30 years. Forced to raidcrops for food, birds have been persecutedand trapped for illegal trade, furthercontributing to their decline.

Over the last eight years, Jimmy has ledconservation efforts for the species. Usingcranes as a flagship, his work has had a

tremendous impact on both wildlife and thecommunities who depend on the wetland’snatural resources.

Recognising that community participationis essential to conservation success, Jimmyworks with local people to raise awarenessof the free services wetlands provide. The project helps local people developalternative livelihood practices that reducethe pressure on wetlands whilst empoweringthem to improve their lives. People aremoving their farming activities out of thewetlands and are benefitting from increasedincome through more sustainable practicessuch as rearing chickens or goats.

With the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest,home to Uganda’s only population ofmountain gorillas, bordering wetland areas,Jimmy is now seeking to develop thepossibility of eco-tourism ventures, apotentially significant source of income to theregion’s impoverished communities.

Local people are also taking active part inthe monitoring of crane populations. Farmersare participating in “Adopt–a–crane”programs, enhancing hands-on approaches towetland conservation and fostering a senseof responsibility. To date, 37 crane breeding

pairs have been identified by communitymembers whose farms cranes breed on.

A draft Wetland Action Plan is ready forimplementation and areas of degradedwetland are being restored. Together withthe project’s other activities, the future islooking brighter for cranes, wetlands and thewider ecosystem. Jimmy explains “Wetlandrelated services previously lost throughhuman impact are increasingly beingrestored. These include more and cleanerwater, more thatch, mulch, tying and fuelmaterials and more biodiversity.”

Ecosystem approach to conservation of theheadwaters of the Amazonian, TambopataJimmy Muheebwa

Uganda

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Community-based Conservation of Cranes and theWetland Habitats of the Lake Victoria Catchment

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Louis Nkembi is Founder of theEnvironmental and Rural DevelopmentFoundation (ERuDeF), a Cameroonian NGOestablished in 1999 to protect the globallyimportant rainforests of the LebialemHighlands and other montane ecosystems.With mountainous terrain, the area is achallenge to access and has high levels ofendemic bird and plant species. It is also avital area for the cross-river gorilla, the mostcritically endangered of all African primates– just 300 remain in the wild.

Human pressure on thehighlands is a growing

threat. “Therenewed

growth in urban-rural migration and ofpopulation in rural areas is causing anincreasing rate of conversion of forest tofarmland”, warns Louis. As a result, habitatfragmentation and poaching are increasing.

Trained in Agronomy and Forestry, andwith an MSc in Resource Economics, Louis’efforts in S.W.Cameroon have already ledto the rediscovery of two internationallythreatened birds, the Bannerman’s Turacoand Banded Wattle-eye in 2003. His teamcompleted the first ever birds checklist forLebialem Highlands in 2005, whilst thediscovery of a new gorilla population in2004 led to ERuDEF’s inclusion in theRegional Action Plan for the Conservationof the Cross River Gorilla and Chimpanzees.

Louis’ proactive approach to haltingthe causes of habitat loss combines

science, education andcommunity involvement,

Detailed long-termsurveys of the

endangered

bird and plant species have led to officialpartnership with the Ministry of Forestryand Wildlife, and will inform the creation ofa system of legally protected areas acrossthe highlands.

Focusing on three key sites, communitycapacity for gorilla conservation is beingincreased and people directly engaged inlivelihood projects. “Local people do not do conservation with “empty stomachs”. If local people are properly taken care of,the local people will take proper care of the environment”.

Louis is now establishing a ForestProtection Fund that will give opportunitiesto over 10,000 local people to developtangible sources of sustainable income,backed by marketing cooperatives. Lack ofunderstanding of forestry and wildlifelegislation amongst local communities isbeing addressed via an Education ResourceCentre to help build knowledge and raiseinterest in conservation. Through theseapproaches, Louis is helping to build thecapacity of local communities whilstsecuring habitat for the continued survivalof the region’s unique biodiversity.

Conservation and management of Cameroon’s biodiversity-richLebialem Highlands through Community-led action.Louis Nkembi

Cameroon

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Papua New Guinean, Mathew Akon is SeniorProject Officer of the Tenkile ConservationAlliance (TCA), an NGO established in 2001dedicated to the conservation of the remoteTorricelli Mountain Range, a 250,000 ha arearich in wildlife.

Many species here occur nowhere else onEarth. One such species is the Tenkile, orScott’s tree kangaroo, the TCA’s namesakeand a critically endangered marsupial firstdescribed in1989.

Recognised as the most threatened of alltree kangaroo species, the tenkile’s range istoday restricted to only 150km2 of rainforest.Like many marsupials, tenkiles are slowbreeding. Growing human population has ledto significant increases in the hunting of wildspecies for food and tenkile have declineddramatically over the past 30 years as aresult. Their decline also compromises thewellbeing of local communities whotraditionally depend on wildlife for protein,with low levels of nutrition now common.

Mathew was born in the Torricelli

Mountains and witnessed first hand thedecline in the region’s fauna. In 1999 he led agroup of stakeholders from 13 villages fromacross the region to stop the hunting of tenkile.

“Before the establishment of thisprogram, our grand parents, parents andeven my family killed tenkile for meat. Butsince the signing of the moratorium, tenkilenumbers have increased”.

Successful research teams have beenestablished with 18 villages since 2003, withmore than 100 people employed each yearthrough TCA’s Tenkile Distance Sampling

research. Now the goal is to establish a96,000 ha protected Conservation Area at thecore of the Torricelli range. Mathew and TCA are working directly with the region’s 39 villages to inspire support for the project,using tenkiles and another criticallyendangered tree kangaroo species, theweimang, as flagship species. Training willthen enable the communities to effectivelymanage the Conservation Area themselves.

TCA, the only NGO in the region, areleading community projects to improvelivelihoods and build capacity. The result issome 10,000 people committed to theconservation effort, who have helpedcomplete maps of their land, and identifiedsites important for food, for wildlife and theircultural beliefs.

“In the beginning, 65% of people were supportive, but now the projectresults – capacity building, employmentopportunities, community development, as well as substitute protein farming – haveproven to be positive. This has stimulatedthe stakeholders who are now 100%behind this program”.

Mathew Akon Papua New Guinea

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The Tree Kangaroo as a flagship for the legislatedconservation of the Torricelli Mountain Range

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Argentine marine biologist Dr. PabloBorboroglu is President and Founder of the Global Penguin Society (GPS), theworld’s first global coalition for the protectionof penguins.

The fragile conservation status of mostpenguin populations mirrors the widercondition of the world’s oceans. At sea, ahost of threats including oil pollution,fisheries mismanagement, and climatechange all affect penguins. On land, nestingpenguins face irresponsible tourism, coastaldevelopment, and introduced predators.

Today, 60% of the world’s 18 penguinspecies are listed as vulnerable orendangered by the IUCN.

However, penguins are uniquely placed tofoster public and political support. The aim isclear to Pablo: “People love penguins butthey do not know about their fragileconservation status ... Increasingawareness internationally is crucial to helpnot only penguins but also the oceans onwhich we, and they, rely”.

Pablo has more than 20 years experiencein marine conservation and, from 2003 to2005, led the first management plan forPunta Tombo in Argentina, the world’slargest Magellanic Penguin colony. Pablocoordinated 130 stakeholders in the designand legislation of a 90,000 ha MarineProtected Area – an exceptional democraticevent in a country of past dictatorialgovernments. Pablo has repeated theprocess at many other sensitive areas alongthe coast of Patagonia.

Now Pablo is taking his mission global.GPS is promoting the protection of penguin colonies, and creating an alliance-building force with representatives from 16 countries, based on science,

management, and education. As well as aglobal update of penguin status, one of themain outputs will be the design of a globalpenguin conservation strategy that will be used to inform governments and ensureany conservation interventions areeffectively targeted.

Success rests on understanding thatpenguin conservation begins at the locallevel. In many countries where penguinsoccur, a large percentage of the population isimpoverished and environmental issues arenot considered a priority.

Penguins are one of the main highlightsof tourism in Argentina, and thousands offamilies depend on them. Pablo is nowempowering local communities, impartingthe skills they need to benefit frompenguins without disturbance.

Using the media, Pablo aims to engagelarger audiences to catalyze action.“Through penguins we can make a longlasting contribution to the ocean, changingpeople’s attitude and perception toward the sea”.

The Global Penguin Society: penguin advocacyfor the Southern OceansPablo Borboroglu

Argentina

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Dr. Susana Gonzalez is Director of theUruguayan NGO, Instituto de ConservacionNeotropical, and Chair of the IUCN DeerSpecialist group. A global champion for deerconservation, she has led efforts toconserve the Uruguayan pampas deer andits habitat for over 20 years.

As noted by Darwin, millions of pampasdeer once ranged throughout the vastneotropical grasslands of South America.However, following the introduction ofagriculture and urbanization, habitat loss hasreduced the deer’s range to less than 1% of that found in 1900. Pampasgrasslands now represent one of the most critically endangered ecosystems in Latin America, but receive littleconservation attention.

In Uruguay, fewer than 1,500 pampasdeer still remain, split into two isolatedpopulations of different sub-species. Susanaand her team are working to establish anetwork of reserves that protect theremaining grasslands, utilising the pampas

deer as an umbrella species. With a tinyfraction of Uruguay covered by protectedareas, it is critical that managementstrategies integrate privately owned landinto the conservation system.

Often dismissed as a nuisance byranchers, deer play a vital role in the healthyfunctioning of grassland. Currently, rancherswho share their land with the deer see nobenefit. Susana’s project is encouragingsustainable management by helpingranchers willing to accommodate pampasdeer herds on their land. Landowners whoimplement good livestock practices andrestore agro-ecosystems are rewarded withassistance in seeking special certification oftheir products and improved market

opportunities. Susana’s research is alsoproviding evidence that the deer play a vitalrole in seed dispersal – good for thegrassland and therefore the cattle.

With Uruguay’s pampas grasslands also being home to charismatic speciessuch as the ostrich-like rhea, Susana is alsopromoting training in ecotourism which haspotential for long-term livelihood benefit forlocal people.

Susana recognises that engaging localpeople and stimulating them to take anactive role in conservation is vital, especiallyin regards to children – the future of thepampas deer and their grassland habitatbeing very much in their hands. “When I began environmental education in thisrural school there were only 5 children andnone had ever seen a pampas deer.Twenty years later there are 15 studentswho all regularly see the deer and aredeeply involved with their role as“guardians”, taking part as activeprotagonists”.

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The Pampas Deer and Grassland ConservationManagement projectSusana González

Uruguay

Gazelle populations are being monitoredand their migration in Russia and EastMongolia tracked. The impact of climaticchanges and human activity on the steppeare also being investigated. As a result ofVadim’s efforts, gazelles in Russia haveincreased forty fold in less than 10 years.Today, over 3,000 individuals occur in theDaursky reserve.

Vadim now aims to enlarge the reserveand establish a 213,000 ha protected area tothe east. Beyond Russia, he seeks thetrans-boundary conservation of gazelle asthey migrate across borders. Daurskymakes up the Russian section of thetrilateral Dauria International Protected Area,an expanse of connected wetland andsteppe habitat crucial to the conservation of the region’s migrant species as well asother mammals such as the Pallas cat.Cooperating with conservationists in Chinaand Mongolia, Vadim is enhancingcollaboration and creating corridors in borderfencing to ensure historically importantmigration routes are reopened.

barbed wire border fences separating thetwo countries. “More than a hundredthousand gazelle abandoned their breedingareas in Mongolia because of drought andcompetition with livestock. The large herdstried to move north. But it was not safeand they did not have free movementhere. Many were doomed to death.”

Vadim’s work focuses on reducing the main threats to the gazelles – barbedwire, poaching and habitat degradation. His team are removing barb-wire fencesthat disrupt migration and trap animals.Local communities play an important role,forming networks of ‘public watchers’collecting data on gazelle movements andreporting any poaching.

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Much as bison once migrated across thevast plains of North America, the Mongoliangazelle is the last mass migrating mammalof the Central Asian Steppe. Also like thebison, Mongolian gazelles have beensubject to severe hunting pressure, withdramatic declines in both their numbers and range.

Vadim Kirilyuk, Deputy Director of theDaursky Biosphere Reserve, is combininghis official role with leadership of a coalitionof NGOs and community members toconserve the gazelle and the Daurian steppeecoregion. When Vadim first visited theDaursky reserve as a student 20 years ago,not a single gazelle occurred in the whole ofRussia. Since then, Vadim and his teamhave worked tirelessly to restore thespecies back to its former range.

After creation of the Daursky Reserve in1987, gazelles slowly started returning toRussia. Then, in 2001, a mass migrationevent from Mongolia into Russia occurred.Sadly, many gazelles became caught on the

The Live Daurian Steppe: Research and Conservation of migratingMongolian Gazelles across the Russian-Mongolian borderVadim Kirilyuk

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The 2010 Whitley Awards Ceremony

is kindly hosted by

Kate Humble

Short films narrated by

Sir David Attenborough

Whitley Fund for Nature team

Georgina Domberger

DirectorAnnabel Lea

ManagerDavid Wallis

Awards CoordinatorBrian Johnson

Finance Manager

Awards Ceremony team

Mandy Duncan-Smith

Show ProducerCaroline Clark

Production ManagerAlison Cook

Winner speaker coachingWinner communication training

Boffin Media

Whitley Fund for Nature Trustees

Sir David AttenboroughTim DyeCatherine FaulksEdward Whitley

Vice Patron

John Laing

Patron

HRH The Princess Royal

Acknowledgements

Press and PR

Pam BeddardEvent Management

Media NaturaGraphic Design

DesignRaphael LtdPrint

Elephant Graphics LtdPhotography

James FinlayFilms

Large Blue

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2010 Whitley Awards

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