DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 5 November – Thirteen volunteer projects dedicated to conservation and the environment in the GCC and Levant have been awarded a combined total of US$90,000 by the judges of this year’s edition of the GCC/Levant Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants.
 
Winners received their cheques at a special gala dinner and awards ceremony held recently in Dubai.
 
Members of the Ford Grants’ independent jury panel, comprising leading environmentalists and academics from across the region, also attended the awards along with representatives from the WWF-UAE and senior officials from Ford Middle East & North Africa (MENA).
 
Jim Benintende, managing director of Ford MENA, said: “The Ford Grants are celebrating their third year of success in the region, and the quality of this year’s entries reflects the importance of this initiative. It is immensely gratifying that local volunteers are continuing the good work.”
 
A total of 13 volunteer groups and individuals, representing all nine GCC and Levant countries, received financial assistance from the 2002 Ford Grants. The largest individual grant was US$10,000.
 
The 2002 recipients of the Ford Motor Company Conservation & Environmental Grants in the GCC / Levant are:
  • Prospects for Sustainable Management of Acacia Tortilis in Saudi Arabia, submitted by Mohammad S.A Sulayem. Grant: US$10,000

 
  • Coral Monitoring Programme, submitted by the Emirates Diving Association, Dubai, UAE. Grant: US$7,000

 
  • Rehabilitation of Aarar Trees in Reydah Protected Area and Sehab Park, submitted by Tarik Mohammed Ameen Al Abbasi, Saudi Arabia. Grant: US$10,000

 
  • Children's Environmental Games, submitted by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Amman, Jordan. Grant: US$7,000.

 
  • Children's Marine Environment Conservation and Education Centre, Aqaba, submitted by the Jordan Royal Ecological Diving Society (JREDS) in Amman, Jordan. Grant: US$8,000.

 
  • Environmental Citizenship Project, submitted by Bahrain Women's Society in Manama, Bahrain. Grant: US$8,000.

 
  • The Select Council for the Conservation of Marine Turtles, submitted by Kuwait Marine Turtle Interest Group in Kuwait. Grant: US$7,000.

 
  • ‘Miss Nora and the Eco-Geckos’ TV Infomercial, submitted by Dr Saif Al Hajri and Kathleen Ferguson-Huntington (Friends of the Environment Centre, Doha, Qatar). Grant US$8,000.

 
  • Study of the Behaviour, Genetics, and Conservation Ecology of Whales and Dolphins in Oman, submitted by the Oman Whale and Dolphin Research & Rescue Team, Oman. Grant: US$8,000.

 
  • Utilisation of Intelligent Sensors as a Tool Towards Optimal and Efficient Water Savings and Management, submitted by Dr Tareq Al Zabet, Al Ain, UAE. Grant: US$4,000.

 
  • Restoration of the Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohamed Khalid Al Nahyan Heritage Home, submitted by Engineer Khalid Mohiuddin, Al Ain, UAE. Grant: US$1,000.

 
  • Discovery and Classification of Tannourine Flora, submitted by the Friends of Tannourine Cedars Forum, Lebanon. Grant US$10,000.

 
§         Environmental Pool / Local Heritage, submitted by Rashwan Mohammed Al Maarouf, Al Hasaka Educational Department, Syria. Grant: US$2,000.
 
First introduced in the Gulf in 2000, the Ford Grants expanded to include Lebanon, Jordan and Syria last year. Ford Motor Company has granted a total of US$240,000 so far to conservation and environmental causes in the region since 2000.
 
Specialising in four main areas - the natural environment, environmental education, conservation engineering, and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage - the Ford Motor Company & Environmental Grants invite individuals, community groups and non-profit-making organisations to apply for Ford funds to assist small-scale, ongoing projects.
 
Now a hugely successful international initiative, the Ford Grants evolved out of the Henry Ford European Conservation Awards, which have helped more than 15,000 projects since their inception in 1983. For more information, visit www.ford-environmentalgrants.com.
 
-Ends-
 
Distributed for Ford Middle East & North Africa by the Ford PR Unit, TEAM/Young & Rubicam. For further information, please contact Stephen Worsley or Rami Halawani on tel: (971-4) 3344550, fax: (971-4) 3344556,
email: s.worsley@asdaa.com or r.halawani@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2002