In the fourteenth edition of the Carlos Ponce del Prado Conservation Award and under the motto "You leave a mark", the great contribution of two women and three men, who work for our nature, was highlighted in the categories of Illustrious Park Ranger, Outstanding Park Ranger, Outstanding Young Conservationist, Conservation Architect and Environmental Personality.
During the awards ceremony on Monday, November 28, Yamina Silva Vidal, Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources at the Ministry of Environment, highlighted the recognition given to the efforts of park rangers, women, and young people for the past 14 years, as they are the ones who make it possible to conserve the planet's resources: "We need to strengthen the work of park rangers and partnerships with native indigenous communities, as well as with educators to train children in environmental issues. The future of the planet is in our hands," she added.
The winners of this 2022 edition were Nicole Mitidieri Rivera, recognized as Outstanding Young Conservationist; Javier Velásquez Varela, winner of the Conservation Architect category; Richard Chase Smith as Environmental Personality; and Jesús Keme Rojas and Erika Vásquez Torres as Illustrious Park Ranger and Outstanding Park Ranger, respectively.
Jesús Keme Rojas, a park ranger at Manu National Park, was unable to attend the ceremony, but his 22 years of dedicated work to the conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of this protected natural area and the communities that live in and around it were recognized.
For their part, At 25 years old, Erika Vásquez Torres is an important leader of the Matsés National Reserve, whose work has had a positive impact on the women and indigenous peoples of this reserve where she was first a volunteer, then an intern and now a park ranger.
In addition, the Peruvian Association for Nature Conservation (APECO), the Association for Amazonian Conservation (ACCA) and Conservamos por Naturaleza, of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA), awarded seven scholarships to young researchers who lead projects for climate change mitigation and sustainable development in various regions of Peru.
The Carlos Ponce Award, inspired by the legacy of engineer Carlos Ponce del Prado and his dedication to the conservation of natural areas and their biodiversity, in its fourteenth edition was able to bring together once again different people who dedicate their lives to the care of our ecosystems in all regions of Peru.
About Carlos Ponce
Carlos Federico Ponce del Prado was one of the best-known and most beloved figures in the recent history of nature conservation. Throughout his life, Ponce was a member of countless institutions, to which he always contributed his words of encouragement and support, as well as his knowledge and great diplomatic skills. In 1983, he founded the Peruvian Foundation for Nature Conservation (ProNaturaleza), where he served as its second president and several times as vice president. In 1986, he was invited by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to work in Washington, D.C., as Director of the Peru Program. His time in Washington coincided with the internal division of TNC International that led to the creation of Conservation International (CI), for which he began working in 1987, initially in Washington and later in Lima, as regional vice president for the tropical Andean countries. He retired from CI in 2006. Since then, he has served as an advisor to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The Carlos Ponce del Prado Award was established in 2009 to honor his legacy. It is sponsored by Profonanpe, Conservation International, the Andes Amazon Fund, WCS, the Ministry of the Environment, and Sernanp.
Learn more about the award at www.premiocarlosponce.pe
