 Bonn/Nairobi,
9 April 2006 – During the celebrations of the World Migratory
Bird Day (WMBD) held today on the Ol Ari Nyiro estate at Laikipia,
Kenya, CMS awarded its first Ambassadorship to the conservationist
Kuki Gallmann in recognition of her work to preserve wildlife
and to promote the cause of migratory animals.
“With Kuki Gallmann the Convention on Migratory Species
has gained a strong partner to spread its mission of protecting
migratory animals as part of our natural heritage. We also
acknowledge her courageous work to conserve migratory animals
and their habitats in Kenya. The new CMS Ambassadorships are
an important asset to raise awareness on the continuous threats
imposed to these species and the need to protect them”,
said UNEP/CMS Executive Secretary Robert Hepworth, who presented
Ms. Gallmann with a certificate and special Ambassadorial
brooch.
Kuki
Gallmann and her daughter Sveva Gallmann hosted the launching
event of the World Migratory Bird Day named "WINGS"
on the Great Rift Valley spaces of the Gallmann Memorial
Foundation. It was the central launching event of a global
initiative to raise awareness on the threats posed to migrating
birds and to highlight their ecological importance, especially
among the general public. Its aim was also to emphasize
the necessity of preserving migratory birds across borders
and throughout their migratory range.
During the event, Ms. Gallmann has been awarded the CMS
Ambassadorship by Mr. Hepworth Ms. Gallman has initiated
a number of groundbreaking wildlife projects in her adopted
country Kenya. Her estate Ol Ari Nyiro is a registered Black
Rhino Sanctuary, supporting the largest known undisturbed
indigenous population of the endangered black rhino outside
Kenya's national parks, and a refuge for elephants and a
variety of other migratory animals. Kuki Gallmann also established
The Gallmann Memorial Foundation with international outreach
focuses on wildlife protection, reforestation, the environmental
education of youth and research. Its Environmental Award
for the best environmental record in the schools of neighbouring
regions is a major contribution to raising public awareness.
She is a Founding Member of The Laikipia Wildlife Forum,
The Ecotourism Society of Kenya, the Laikipia Nature Conservancy
Trust and the Association of Private Land Rhino Sanctuaries.
When mass killings of elephants and rhinos started to deplete
populations, she founded the first private antipoaching
force in Kenya in 1980. The following study and the establishment
of elephant corridors in the region of Laikipia, in partnership
with WWF and the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS), is a crucial
component of conversing migratory animals. This activity
is also part of the conservation under the Agreement on
West African Elephants recently concluded under the auspices
of the Convention., and signed by the representatives of
the twelve elephant range states in the region.
Kuki Gallmann’s commitment supports the outreach and
implementation of the Convention in Kenya: balanced co-existence
between humans and migratory animals is the cornerstone
for a long-term conservation approach.
UNEP/CMS and its African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA)
are convinced that Kuki Gallmann’s collaboration will
raise the profile of the main actors and motivate people
to support the Convention in Kenya and throughout the world.
Click
here to read Robert Hepworth's address at the World Migratory
Bird Day
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