Two Kenyans i.e. Paula Kahumbu and Ewaso Lions’ Shivani Bhalla have both been awarded a Whitley Award for their conservation efforts in Kenya.
The Whitley Awards are run by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) and winners are selected through a process of reference, application and interview. WFN identifies effective national and regional conservation leaders and celebrates them through Whitley Awards of up to £35,000, now amongst the most high profile of conservation prizes. The 2014 Whitley Awards Ceremony was held on the 8th of May at The Royal Geographical Society in London. The Ceremony was hosted by Kate Humble with the Whitley Awards presented to the winners by WFN Patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
Paula Kahumbu is the Executive Director of WildlifeDirect and leads the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign which was launched in 2013. She is also the executive director of the Kenya Land Conservation Trust and the chairman of the Friends of Nairobi National Park. She is best known for her passionate and forceful speeches at two CITES conferences where she headed the Kenyan delegation.
Shivani Bhalla
Shivani Bhalla is the Founder & Executive Director of Ewaso Lions which seeks to promote coexistence between carnivores and people. Shivani received her MSc. from Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland, and has a BSc. in Environmental Science from Lancaster University. Previously, she has worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service and Save The Elephants, where she promoted environmental education programs among schools and students in Samburu.
Full list Whitley Award 2014 winners.