Tusk Awards Press Release
Somalilandsun – HRH The Duke of Cambridge has agreed to su
pport a new annual award scheme that aims to celebrate outstanding achievement in the field of African conservation. Tusk, the African conservation charity of which Prince William is Royal Patron, today announced the establishment of The Tusk Conservation Awards in partnership with Investec Asset Management. Tusk has been working since 1990 to build a sustainable future for the African continent and its wildlife. It has been Tusk’s long-term ambition to create an awards programme to celebrate outstanding achievement in African conservation. The support of Investec Asset Management as the awards partner has enabled Tusk to turn that vision into reality.
The charity has already begun the search for individuals who have undertaken outstanding, inspirational conservation work in Africa within the protection of endangered species or threatened habitat, promotion of environmental education or development of community driven conservation. There will be two Tusk Conservation Awards in 2013. • The first will be awarded to a distinguished individual for their outstanding dedication and exceptional contribution over a minimum of ten years to conservation in Africa. This award is considered a lifetime achievement award. • The second will be awarded to an individual with a minimum of five years experience who has demonstrated a considerable commitment to conservation and has already made a significant impact. The award recognises an up-and-coming conservationist whose work shows real promise. Nominations will be assessed by an independent panel of experts and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in Autumn 2013. The award winners will receive substantial grants of £30,000 and £10,000 respectively, and in addition to signaling global recognition of their work, it is intended that the awards will help to develop their projects.
HRH The Duke of Cambridge has agreed to support a new annual award scheme that aims to celebrate outstanding achievement in the field of African conservation. Tusk, the African conservation charity of which Prince William is Royal Patron, today announced the establishment of The Tusk Conservation Awards in partnership with Investec Asset Management. Tusk has been working since 1990 to build a sustainable future for the African continent and its wildlife. It has been Tusk’s long-term ambition to create an awards programme to celebrate outstanding achievement in African conservation. The support of Investec Asset Management as the awards partner has enabled Tusk to turn that vision into reality. The charity has already begun the search for individuals who have undertaken outstanding, inspirational conservation work in Africa within the protection of endangered species or threatened habitat, promotion of environmental education or development of community driven conservation. There will be two Tusk Conservation Awards in 2013. • The first will be awarded to a distinguished individual for their outstanding dedication and exceptional contribution over a minimum of ten years to conservation in Africa. This award is considered a lifetime achievement award. • The second will be awarded to an individual with a minimum of five years experience who has demonstrated a considerable commitment to conservation and has already made a significant impact. The award recognises an up-and-coming conservationist whose work shows real promise. Nominations will be assessed by an independent panel of experts and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in Autumn 2013. The award winners will receive substantial grants of £30,000 and £10,000 respectively, and in addition to signaling global recognition of their work, it is intended that the awards will help to develop their projects.
Charlie Mayhew MBE, Chief Executive of Tusk, said “We are very excited about the launch of these awards and immensely grateful to the Duke of Cambridge for his enthusiasm and his commitment to this initiative. We are now calling for nominations to be submitted by 31
January 2013, and want to make sure that the message reaches conservation groups and individuals right across the continent.” Award Partner Investec Asset Management’s CEO Hendrik du Toit added, “Given our substantial business interests in Africa and our commitment to the continent and its people we identify with Tusk’s mission. It is a privilege to be associated with Tusk, which has been working for over two decades towards building a sustainable future for Africa’s natural heritage. We applaud the Tusk team for their unfaltering work across the continent.”
Details January 2013, and want to make sure that the message reaches conservation groups and individuals right across the continent.” Award Partner Investec Asset Management’s CEO Hendrik du Toit added, “Given our substantial business interests in Africa and our commitment to the continent and its people we identify with Tusk’s mission. It is a privilege to be associated with Tusk, which has been working for over two decades towards building a sustainable future for Africa’s natural heritage. We applaud the Tusk team for their unfaltering work across the continent.” of the awards and nomination forms can be downloaded from the awards website: www.tuskawards.com
The Duke of Cambridge became Royal Patron of Tusk in December 2005 and he has actively supported the charity’s work both privately and publicly on many occasions. In June 2010, The Duke visited the work of Tusk in Botswana with his brother Prince Harry on their first joint overseas tour. Their Royal Highnesses visited Mokolodi Education Centre to engage with some of the 12,000 Botswana children who attend the Tusk sponsored environmental education facility. The Princes also visited a groundbreaking predator conservation and research camp in the Okavango Delta. In April this year, the Duke spoke out about the alarming crisis in elephant and rhino poaching, issuing a rallying call to act now or “tomorrow will be too late”. Then in June, in an interview with the BBC, he called for an end to rhino poaching, branding those involved in the illegal trade of rhino horn as “ignorant, selfish and utterly wrong”. Since its formation in 1990 Tusk has raised over £18m for a wide range of projects across Africa, which not only work to protect wildlife, particularly endangered species, but also help to alleviate poverty through sustainable development and education amongst rural communities who live alongside wildlife. 2) As headline partner of the Tusk Awards, Investec Asset Management will support the awards infrastructure, the award ceremony and the main award itself. Investec Asset Management is a specialist investment manager, providing a premier range of products to institutional and individual investors. Established in 1991, the firm has been built from start-up into an international business managing approximately US$100bn (as at end September 2012) on behalf of third party clients. The Firm has grown from domestic roots in Southern Africa and the UK to a position where it proudly serves a growing international client base from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. We employ over 140 investment professionals. The firm seeks to create a profitable partnership between clients, shareholders and employees, and to exceed expectations for both client service and performance.
