_{Original text from a Press Release published on 12th November 2020}

This year, the prestigious Tusk Conservation Awards will take place virtually on Thursday 3 December at 18:00 GMT . Launched with Prince William in 2013, the Awards celebrate the work of leading conservationists in Africa.

Tusk recently announced a significant increase in the value of the awards thanks to the generous commitment of £1m over 5 years from The Nick Maughan Foundation. Recognised at the virtual ceremony, this funding will more than double the conservation grants given to the winners and finalists dedicated to safeguarding the continent’s wildlife and habitat.

Announcing the shortlist for the 2020 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa, Charlie Mayhew, CEO of Tusk said, “We are immensely grateful to Ninety One for their continued partnership and thrilled to announce the invaluable additional support from The Nick Maughan Foundation. As the future of the natural world is brought into even sharper focus, it is fantastic that the recipients of our awards can continue their vital work thanks to this much needed boost to grant funding. I am very pleased today to reveal the three exceptional finalists for this year’s Tusk Award.”

Finalists for the 2020 Tusk Award

© tusk conservation awards 2020 Photo: © tusk conservation awards 2020

• George Owoyesigire (Uganda), Uganda Wildlife Authority - Deputy Director Community Conservation: George has improved relations between local communities and wildlife by promoting benefit sharing; investment in wildlife enterprises, addressing human-wildlife conflict issues and promoting conservation education. He also implemented the bee keeping project, an initiative that uses bees as a deterrent against elephant crop raiding.
   
• Ian Stevenson (Zambia), Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ):  Ian is the project manager at CLZ, combatting issues such as poaching, human wildlife conflict and illegal activity. He made CLZ the multi-faceted and holistic organisation it is today, paving the way in law enforcement, environmental education and community engagement.
   
• John Kamanga (Kenya), South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO) Executive Director: John has dedicated his career to developing a vision for the co-existence of pastoralists and wildlife. In Kenya, where 68% of wildlife resides on community land, supporting the ability of people and wildlife to co-exist is imperative.

The winner of this award will be announced at the virtual ceremony. The event will also broadcast the presentation of the annual Prince William Award for Conservation, sponsored by headline partner Ninety One and the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award ,sponsored by The Nick Maughan Foundation.

More details on the awards: https://tuskawards.com/