The J Paul Getty Award for Conservation

By Kerry Zobor

“I believe that wildlife conservation, the work of World Wildlife Fund, is one of the most constructive enterprises that any man or woman could be interested in today…I get satisfaction out of having done my duty as I see it. If this prize makes more people concerned about conservation and thus makes the world a better place to live in, then I will be satisfied. “
J. Paul Getty
Sutton Place, 1974

The J Paul Getty Award for Conservation, one of the world’s most prestigious such awards previously won by an array of distinguished scientists, has this year gone to Malagasy schoolteacher Roger Samba.

Administered by WWF, the Getty prize recognizes an individual who has shown leadership in conservation in one of three rotating themes: political leadership, scientific leadership and community leadership.

Previous winners of the award have included Dr. Jane Goodall, Sir Peter Scott and Pan Wenshi. Nominees for the Getty Award are submitted to WWF by conservation organizations around the world and the winner is chosen by an independent jury of individuals from a wide and distinguished array of expertise.

Russell E. Train, Chairman Emeritus of WWF–US and former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recalls the 1983 awards ceremony in his book Politics, Pollution and Pandas: An Environmental Memoir.

“In July 1983, we succeeded in having the president personally present the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation prize to the awardees at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House. When the president (Ronald Reagan) walked out of his office and stepped up to the microphone, he opened the proceedings by saying to the large assemblage: “Well, first let me welcome you all to the White House. I don’t need to welcome Russell Train of the World Wildlife Fund. Russell’s more at home here than I am. (Laughter.) He served in two administrations, and this is my first (Laughter.) …”

Reagan went on to describe the Getty Prize as the Nobel Prize for conservation and praised the democratic government of Costa Rica. When he was through, I pinned a panda button on his lapel and told him he was now a member of WWF.”

Three years ago, after seeing a decline in marine health – and as a result, a drop in catches by local fishermen – Roger Samba, the president of the remote coastal village of Andavadoaka in south-west Madagascar, decided to take action.

Despite having no background in conservation, Samba successfully brought together organizations, fisheries groups, government agencies and community members to develop and launch Madagascar’s first community-run, no-take zone for octopus – the region’s most economically important fishery.

The Getty award is unique in that it not only recognizes today’s leaders in conservation but also helps develop conservation leadership for tomorrow by establishing graduate fellowships in the name of the winner and J. Paul Getty, the legendary American industrialist and philanthropist.

The award, currently sponsored by J. Paul Getty’s son Gordon and his family, is intended to encourage conservation innovation and heighten public awareness of the need for conservation.

Samba was nominated for the award by Alasdair Harris, director of scientific research at Blue Ventures, who said: “Under Samba’s leadership, the Andavadoaka project proved so successful that eight neighbouring villages instituted their own protected areas for octopus in order to reap similar benefits.

“The national government of Madagascar in 2005 also used the project as a model to create similar seasonal closures across the country. The project is a proven example of how economic development can both inspire and benefit from the conservation of natural resources.”

For generations, the indigenous semi-nomadic Vezo people of Andavadoaka have depended on artisanal fishing activities for their livelihoods, culture and tradition. But in recent years, the region’s marine resources faced growing threats from expanding coastal populations, unsustainable tourism and an increase in international fishing fleets.

Samba spent much of the last five years working to protect the region’s fragile marine biodiversity and habitats. He created a blueprint for empowering local communities to take on management of coral reefs and related habitats. Since 2003, plans for creation of community-managed marine protected areas have spread from one village to more than 30 in the region.

This work has inspired the development of ambitious alternative livelihood and environmental education initiatives, influenced national fisheries legislation, and brought unprecedented attention to marine and coastal conservation issues. Fishermen and women have traveled from across Madagascar and beyond to learn from the Andavadoaka model.