Martins receives top honor

Princess Anne of Britain presented a Whitley Award, one of the world’s top prizes for grassroots nature conservation, to Dino J. Martins of Kenya, for his work to improve local understanding of and win greater protection for the pollinators that underpin farming in and around the Great Rift Valley and Taita Hills.

A Harvard Ph.D. fellow, Martins received his award during a ceremony held by The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), the U.K.-based charity administering the international awards program, at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The award recognizes his work with the East Africa Natural History Society to let small-scale farmers know about the vital role insects play in pollinating crops and encourage them to adopt conservation-friendly methods of agriculture.

The prize includes a Whitley Award project grant of £30,000, an engraved trophy, membership to a network of Whitley Award winners, and international profile-raising opportunities.