Six leading young conservationists from Latin America will pursue projects aimed at protecting diverse ecosystems, using $20,000 awards from New York’s Overbrook Foundation. The annual awards, announced today, are administered by the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) at Columbia University’s Earth Institute.
The Overbrook Conservation Fellows Program, initiated in 2003, is aimed at supporting long-lasting contributions to sustaining the environment. The foundation has made Latin American biodiversity a central focus of its work. “There is often a shortage of great conservationists in the places where they are most needed, and there is rarely if ever outside support for these key leaders,” said Stephen A. Foster, president and CEO of The Overbrook Foundation. CERC implements the program on behalf of the foundation because of its experience in supporting local conservation champions, and its ongoing projects and relationships with the Latin American conservation community.
Potential fellows are identified by a nominating panel of conservationists and scientists with a deep knowledge of the ecological issues facing the region; a selection committee makes the final decisions. According to Herb Raffaele, chief of The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and selection committee member, “This initiative gets at the heart of what conservation is all about–investing in dynamic individuals who care about the environment and dedicate their lives towards making a difference.” Enrique Ortiz, a senior program officer at the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, also on the committee said, “We can see now the results of the fellowships, with several awardees making a change in their countries. They have become more empowered individuals and activists for environmental causes.”
The Overbrook Foundation, located in New York City, is a family foundation established in 1948 by Helen and Frank Altschul. Currently the Foundation has an endowment of approximately $185 million and awarded $9.4 million in grants during 2006. Its key funding areas are environment and human rights. The foundation’s environment program, headed by Daniel Katz, supports organizations working to develop better consumption and production habits in the United States and in Latin America. In Latin America the primary objective is to conserve dwindling biodiversity.
More information, visit: www.overbrook.org