On September 4, the awards ceremony was held once again to recognize those who dedicate their lives to the environmental conservation of our country. This award, which takes place once a year, aims not only to recognize the impact of ongoing conservation initiatives, but also to serve as a source of inspiration for future generations of conservationists who join in joint action to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
Inspired by the legacy of engineer Carlos Ponce del Prado and his work in the conservation of natural areas and their biodiversity, this 2023 award recognized five people in four categories. In this edition, the winners were Fanny Cornejo Fernández and María Elena Paredes as Conservation Artifices, Pompeyo Guillen Huánuco as Illustrious Park Ranger, Roger Alvarado Isla as Outstanding Park Ranger, and Daniel Rivas Galindo as Outstanding Young Conservationist.
The awards ceremony was headed by the Minister of the Environment, Albina Ruiz, who together with representatives of institutions such as Sernanp, Profonanpe, Conservation International, WCS and the Ministry of the Environment, presented the awards to Peruvian environmental leaders and park rangers who actively work for the conservation of Peru’s biological diversity.
Roger Alvarado, park ranger of the Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve, dedicated his award to the more than 700 park rangers in Peru: “To act in conservation we must have 3 pillars: passion to love what we do; empathy to put ourselves in the place of the communities and work with them; and finally, resilience to overcome the obstacles that come our way.”
On the other hand, Maria Elena Paredes, indigenous leader belonging to the Sawawo Hito 40 people, highlighted the work carried out in her community together with the young people: “I thank my organization, with whom we strengthen conservation and work initiatives in our community, to continue sharing with the young people, strengthen their capacities and enable them to continue protecting their forests.”
36*-36*
In addition, valuable Research Grants were awarded in collaboration with the Association for the Conservation of the Amazon Basin (ACCA) and the Peruvian Society of Environmental Law (SPDA), in an effort to promote research in this area. This year, the SPDA awarded Miguel Bellota, Maribel Paco and Luciano Pastorelli; and ACCA awarded Janet Mamani, whose research highlights the value of continuing to generate knowledge that can be applied in conservation projects for climate action.
During the ceremony, an emotional and well-deserved posthumous recognition was given to Pedro Vásquez Ruesta, winner of the Environmental Personality category in 2017 and promoter and manager of the conservation of Peruvian biodiversity.
The Carlos Ponce Award allows us to recognize once again the conservation initiatives that are born and strengthened in different regions of Peru, often far from the spotlight enjoyed by those projects built in more consolidated traditional spaces. It also invites us to look at and focus our attention on the legacy of the work of those people who inhabit, care for and honor their territories; the true protagonists in the construction of a sustainable and resilient Peru.
About Carlos Ponce del Prado
Carlos Federico Ponce del Prado was one of the best known and most beloved figures in the recent history of nature conservation. During his life, Ponce was a member of countless institutions to which he always contributed his words of encouragement and stimulus as well as his knowledge and great diplomatic skills. In 1983 he founded the Peruvian Foundation for the Conservation of Nature (ProNaturaleza) of which he was the second President and several times Vice President. In 1986 he was invited by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to work in Washington, DC as Director of the Peru Program. His stay in that city 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 taken on a consultancy role for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
