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Do you know a remarkable individual specialising in wildlife conservation or environmental research? The call for nominations for the 2025 Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize is now open. 

The prestigious annual prize recognises outstanding individual achievement in the pursuit and/or application of geographical research across the breadth of the discipline, with a particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and environmental research studies. It was established in honour of renowned geographer Esmond Bradley Martin, who was dedicated to ending the use of, and illegal trade in, rhino products and ivory. Esmond was United Nations Special Envoy for Rhinos in 1992-1993 and his work helped China ban their domestic rhino horn trade in 1993 and their ivory trade in 2017. He was a Chartered Geographer and Life Fellow of the Society.

This year’s Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize was awarded to Dr Lola Fatoyinbo, a Research Scientist in the Biospheric Sciences Lab at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where she develops and uses advanced remote sensing technologies and data to understand forested and coastal ecosystems.

On being awarded the Prize, Lola said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive this award. Being the recipient right after Dr Paula Kahumbu, whose work and mission I admire, and in the name of Esmond Bradley Martin, is inspiring and humbling. This recognition also profoundly motivates me to continue producing the environmental data and knowledge that I believe will help protect life on our planet.”

The closing date for nominations for the 2025 Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize is Friday 13 December 2024

The Prize will be awarded at a Monday night lecture in spring 2025. For more information and nomination guidelines, visit Esmond B. Martin Royal Geographical Society Prize - RGS

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