Former student wins Future for Nature Award

Els van Lavieren, former student of Animal Management, received the prestigious 'Future for Nature Award' last week in Burger's Zoo in Arnhem. She was awarded the prize, consisting of the sum of 50.000 euro, for her foundation 'Moroccan Primate Conservation'.

Els graduated from Animal Management at Van Hall Larenstein in 1998. She has been working on the protection of the Barbary macaque in Morocco since 2004. These monkeys are being threatened in their existence because of the decrease of their natural habitat due to deforestation and drought. Furthermore, the monkeys are being hunted down and sold as pets. The prize money will be used amongst other things to build the first sanctuary for the monkeys in Morocco. The shelter is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

The Future for Nature Awards are presented yearly to young people who dedicate themselves to nature conservation. Out of about one hundred subscriptions from fifty different countries, Els and the other two winners were selected.

Relevant websites:

Els' Blog 

Stichting Moroccan Primate Conservation

Future for Nature Award

Stichting AAP

< Back to news