Kenton R. Miller Award
for Innovation in National Parks and Protected Area Sustainability
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Dr. Kenton Miller is a world recognized leader in park and protected areas management. As an officer of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and with support from the Rockefeller Brothers’ Fund (RBF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he headed FAO’s Latin American Programme on Wildland Management. He developed and taught graduate programmes in parks and wildland management at CATIE (Costa Rica) and the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources. Experience in protected areas policy, planning, and capacity building led to opportunities to consult and contribute in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Antarctica. As field researcher, teacher, and programme manager, and with further support from RBF, he authored the first text on park planning for the Spanish-speaking world, and introduced internationally the concepts of and developed the tools for managing wildlands by bioregions and categories of land use. Dr. Miller played a significant role in the design and implementation of three World Park Congresses (1982,1992, & 2003). Under the aegis of the World Resources Institute, he led the international cooperative effort to prepare the Global Biodiversity Strategy (WRI/IUCN/UNEP), contributed to the Global Biodiversity Assessment, and played a significant role in the development of the Global Convention for the Conservation of Biological Diversity (CBD).
Miller held the world’s highest conservation position as Director General of IUCN-The World Conservation Union (Gland, Switzerland) during 5 years, from 1983 through 1988. He recently finished a third term as Chair of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), and recently retired as Vice President for Conservation and Development following 15 years of service at the World Resources Institute (WRI). As mentor to many conservation leaders around the world, Kenton Miller is recognized particularly for his energetic promotion of innovation and learning related to planning and managing national parks and protected areas. Most recently he has sought to raise awareness among park professionals regarding the growing challenges facing protected areas from climate, social, economic, and institutional changes taking place worldwide.
Miller is recipient of the prestigious Schubert Environmental Prize (Germany), two honorary doctorates, the Golden Ark (Netherlands), and other recognitions of his contributions to world conservation.
Purpose of the Prize:
The Kenton R. Miller Award will recognize individuals who have clearly demonstrated innovation in relation to protected areas. Specifically, it will recognize persons who have developed and applied innovative policies, scientific knowledge, technologies, field practice or governance that hold promise to significantly increase the potential for sustainability of protected areas with demonstrable impact at local, national, or international levels.
Eligibility:
- Nominees will be identified and proposed by individuals related to protected areas management, education or science. Nominees cannot apply for themselves.
- Their innovation will fall within or any combination of the following categories:
- Communications;
- Planning and Management;
- Finance and Economics;
- Assessment, Monitoring, and Evaluation;
- Learning and Capacity Building; and,
- Governance.
- Ideally, nominees will be currently employed by an organization that is involved with protected area management, associated education or research. The organization can be public, private, NGO or community-based;
- The impact of his/her innovation can be demonstrated and have been recognized and endorsed by peers at the local, national, and/or international level;
- Nominees will have a minimum of 5 years associated with protected area experience;
- While preference will be given to members of WCPA, non-member candidates will be considered;
- The Award will give preference to candidates that may not have been previously recognized internationally for their innovation;
- The Award will not cover recognition for life-time service to protected areas, or for bravery in their defense (for these merits please refer to the IUCN/WCPA Packard Award).
Selection Criteria:
- The innovation must include the development of new approaches, tools, or methods which have been applied in the fields noted above under Eligibility.
- On reviewing the references made by peers, consider how the innovation has contributed to the sustainability of established and future protected areas. How important is the innovation to park sustainability?
- Consider the general applicability of the innovation at local, national or international levels. How useful has been the innovation?
- Weigh the potential benefit to be derived from the innovation. What will change as a result of applying the innovation?
- Consider the quality and quantity of the endorsements made by peers.
- To what extent is the innovation unique with reference to other innovations elsewhere or in other time periods?
- Consider to what extent the innovation has already received substantial recognition and limelight.
Selection Process:
The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, through the office of the Chair will solicit nominations for the Award. The Award, its purpose and associated eligibility criteria will be announced in the WCPA newsletter and Website, the IUCN Bulletin, and other cooperating conservation organizations. Nomination forms will be available for downloading from the WCPA Website or by request to the Protected Area Programme Office at IUCN Headquarters. There, the closing date for submission of nominations will be posted.
The WCPA Chair will establish a Selection Committee each year to examine the nominations gathered by a posted closing date. This Committee will identify the five (3) most noteworthy candidates. Members of this Committee will include representatives from IUCN/WCPA and other conservation organizations, the Head of IUCN’s Protected Areas Programme, and Dr. Kenton Miller as advisor. An independent Award Jury, consisting of three world-recognized conservation leaders that are not members of IUCN/WCPA, will be established each year by the WCPA Chair to analyze the three finalists, and select the single winning awardee for that calendar year.
IUCN, WCPA, WRI and the home institution of the awardee will ensure substantial press and other media coverage of the award event and the individual awardee.
The Award will be presented annually at an appropriate event, such as, but not limited to IUCN World Conservation Congresses, World Parks Congresses, or regional park congresses. It will consist of a high quality certificate that denotes the features of the awardee’s contribution. It will include a cash component of US$5,000.
The various fiscal responsibilities related to the capital that sustains the Award and its distribution will be managed by the World Resources Institute.
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