Created to encourage innovation, build partnerships, inspire leadership, and offer hope in the field of great ape conservation, the GRASP-Ian Redmond Conservation Award was given to four dedicated individuals September 22nd at the Great Apes Summit in Jackson Hole, USA. The four winners were:
- Panut Hadisiswoyo from Indonesia, who works to address human-orangutan conflict issues in agricultural landscapes in northern Sumatra.
- Tezar Pahlevie of Indonesia, who focuses on restoring wildlife forest corridors used by orang-utans in Sumatra.
- Inaoyom Imong of Nigeria (pictured), who applies CyberTracker technology to protect critically endangered Cross River gorillas in the Mbe Mountains.
- Arrey Emmanuel Enow of Cameroon, who investigates the illegal trade in chimpanzees and gorillas with the Last Great Ape Organization.
“If the great apes are to survive we need new thinking and commitment from people in the countries where they live,’ Redmond said. “I have long been inspired by the courage and commitment of African and Asian colleagues and am delighted that four such people are being honored today. There were many worthy applicants and it was difficult to select the winners.”