13 May 2014- The Philippine Embassy in London reported that Filipino conservationist Marites Gatan-Balbas won the Whitley Award in a ceremony held at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 8 May 2014.

Balbas was recognized for taking local action to save endemic and critically endangered Philippine crocodile (crocodylus mindorensis), which is considered the world’s rarest crocodile. She and her team at Mabuwaya Foundation were cited for mobilizing community support for crocodile and wetland conservation in Northern Luzon. This initiative led to building four crocodile sanctuaries in the area leading to an increase in the crocodile population from just 12 in 2001 to more than 100 in 2012.

Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Enrique A. Manalo congratulated Balbas on winning the Whitley Award 2014, noting her invaluable contributions to promoting community-based conservation efforts in the Philippines.

The award-winning Filipino conservationist joins the eight finalists chosen among 174 nominees from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The 2014 Whitley Award winners include environmental protection advocates from Bulgaria, Cuba, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The grand winner is Jean Wiener of Haiti who received the 2014 Gold Whitley Award at the ceremony. 

The Whitley Award is a high-profile conservation prize worth £35,000 (₱2.5M) in project funding over one year, which is organized by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN). Considered as the ‘Green Oscars’, the awards are presented by WFN Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, at an annual ceremony in London. END