WINDHOEK, Namibia: Namibian conservationist, Laurie Marker, founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), has been nominated for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize, reported Xinhua.
“I am deeply honoured to be nominated for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize. For me, this recognition is not only personal,” she said on Saturday (Sept. 19).
“It reflects more than five decades of my work and over three decades of work in Namibia by the Cheetah Conservation Fund, as well as the efforts of our dedicated teams, communities, farmers, scientists, partners and supporters who have worked together to ensure a future for the cheetah,” she added.
Recognised as the world’s leading award for animal conservation and often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize of Animal Conservation’, the biennial Indianapolis Prize honours extraordinary scientists who have achieved monumental success in preventing species extinction.
Marker, who has operated CCF’s International Field Research and Education Center in Otjiwarongo, central-northern Namibia, since 1991, said global recognition such as this helps shine a spotlight on conservation efforts on the ground in Namibia.
“Cheetahs cannot be saved by protecting the species alone. Their future depends on healthy, connected landscapes, abundant prey, thriving rural communities, and practical ways for people and predators to live together,” she said.
“If this nomination brings greater attention, partnerships and investment to that work, then it can make a very real difference.”
Marker’s community-focused methodology in Namibia has introduced solutions to human-wildlife conflict, including a pioneering livestock-guarding dog programme that has placed 800 Anatolian Shepherds with farmers to protect their livestock and prevent cheetahs from being killed.
To help prevent the species’ extinction, her team pioneered a state-of-the-art cheetah genome bank, creating a high-tech genetic insurance policy for a wild global population that has fallen to fewer than 7,000. – BERNAMA-XINHUA
