The year 2017 in Review

KfW Stiftung presents the biodiversity award KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis and EUR 50,000 in prize money for the third time. This year's award winner is the CEO of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Andrew Zaloumis, whose ground-breaking work in one of South Africa's poorest regions sets an example for the future by uniting animal welfare and nature conservation with regional development.  

In order to raise awareness for environment protection and species conservation particularly among the young audience, KfW Stiftung invites students from six technical (MINT) secondary schools in Frankfurt to meet the winner in the afternoon of the award ceremony. Teenagers interested in learning more about the connections between the Western lifestyle, its impact on the global environment and local nature conservation discuss these issues with Andrew Zaloumis and scientists from Goethe University Frankfurt. Special attention is given to the problem of plastic waste and its harmful effects on the world's oceans.  

The following panel discussion, addressing this topic as well, will open the evening's festive ceremony: Under the title "The invisible crisis – our plastic waste in the world's seas", the winner Andrew Zaloumis, engages in a debate about our global responsibility and the regional consequences with Lucienne Damm, environmental manager at the cruise company TUI Cruises, Frank Schweikert, founder of the German Ocean Foundation and board member of the Federal Association for ocean waste, and Jo Ruxton, producer of the documentary film "A Plastic Ocean". 

Afterwards, the award is presented to Mr Zaloumis in a festive ceremony. The laudatory speech is given by Dr Fanny Douvere, coordinator of the UNESCO Marine Programme in Paris.