Marjan Centre Project wins Prince William Award
John Kahekwa, the founder of a Congolese Gorilla Conservation organisation - the Pole Pole Foundation, which is a project partner for the DR Congo Research project within the Marjan Centre for the Study of War and the Non-human Sphere has been awarded the highly prestigious Prince William Award. John was honoured for his lifetime achievement in conservation, awarded by the Tusk conservation charity, for his innovative work towards gorilla conservation at an event on Wednesday 30th November at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The award, presented by HRH Prince William and Sir David Attenborough, is one of the most prestigious conservation awards in the world and marks the fantastic work of John and the Pole Pole Foundation to secure the future for the Grauer's Gorillas in DR Congo. John's work has made a significant contribution to the Marjan centre's research for the last four years, providing a central case study for research and teaching as well as expert input into articles published by the centre and workshops attended by staff.John was awarded the Marjan-Marsh Award in 2012, an award for outstanding conservationists working in regions of conflict awarded by King's in partnership with the Marsh Christian Trust. John Kahekwa, director of the Pole Pole Foundation said, "I am hugely honoured to receive the Tusk Lifetime Acheivement Award, and that a spotlight has been placed on our work with the gorillas in DR Congo. The award comes at a critical time, as these fantastic creatures have just been classified as critically endangered.
