ZSL funded conservationist wins prestigious award
Friday 12 May 2006
A ZSL funded conservationist working to save the endangered Amur tiger has been awarded a Whitley Award for outstanding services to conservation.
© Jan Thomassen/Kristiansand Zoo
Sergei Bereznuk, who won the award, is the Director of the Phoenix Fund, an organization part-funded by ZSL and 21st Century Tiger that works to save the critically endangered Amur tiger in the Russian Far East.
Sergei's work involves a combination of antipoaching patrols and environmental education of local communities and has resulted in a halt to the decline of the species over the last ten years.
The award has been given in recognition of the strong scientific base and local community involvement of the project and its ability to bring long-lasting conservation benefits to the area.
ZSL's Carnivores and People Conservation Programme Manager, Sarah Christie, was delighted with the news:
'Sergei’s work, which ZSL has helped to fund for nearly a decade, is of vital significance to the survival of the Amur tiger.
'This charismatic species has suffered dramatically over the last century and there are currently just 450 surviving in their native habitat. Sergei’s work has helped to ensure that alone among the world’s remaining tiger populations, the Amur tiger population is stable.'
Image © - Jan Thomassen/Kristiansand Zoo
