2023 is the 30th Anniversary of the Whitley Awards and we wanted to honour this moment in our history with something very special...
What better way to mark this significant occasion than an interview with Sir David Attenborough? Turning the tables on our plan, however, Sir David generously agreed on one condition — that this time he himself would be asking the questions…
We’re delighted to have shared this special interview at our 2023 Whitley Awards ceremony, as part of our #PartnersForPlanet celebrations, as well as the following message from WFN Founder, Edward Whitley…
A message from WFN’s Founder and Trustee, Edward Whitley:
Dear friends,
We are delighted to announce our new cohort of 2023 Whitley Award winners in our 30th Anniversary year.
Over these 30 years the Whitley Awards have grown because of the partnerships that we have made. Our wonderful supporters have provided generous and sustained funding, and over this period this funding in turn has enabled the Awards to support the work of some 200 winners across 80 countries. This is why the theme for this year’s Ceremony is #PartnersForPlanet.
Recently, we have seen increased recognition that it is local people who are instrumental to long-term conservation success; the understanding of which informed our approach all those years ago, when we began supporting local conservation leaders to provide their effective, sustainable, and equitable solutions in their home countries. As many of the challenges we face as a planet have grown, so has our ambition and determination to support the extraordinary tenacity of our winners.
This year, we are delighted to welcome six new Whitley Award winners to our network. These inspiring leaders spearhead community-based conservation projects in some of the most biodiverse, yet vulnerable places on Earth. This week, we are hosting a series of events to celebrate their remarkable achievements for people, wildlife and climate, and to help them leverage the success of their Whitley Award win. In addition to £40,000 in project funding, we will provide each winner with PR support, networking opportunities, communications and speech training, and introduce them to our dedicated network of fellow conservation leaders across the globe. We look forward to following the accomplishments and careers of this new cohort of winners in the years to come.
We want to thank you, our fantastic donors and supporters, for your committed and generous support of the charity and our winners. Looking ahead to the next 30 years, we feel a great sense of optimism knowing that together and with the next generation, we can continue to tackle the challenges that our planet faces.
Thank you for being our #PartnersForPlanet.
EDWARD WHITLEY, OBE
Founder | Whitley Fund for Nature
See the full ceremony booklet here.
