Prince William has honoured conservationists working in Africa to combat the illegal wildlife trade at a charity function.
He attended a dinner and presentation at London’s Claridge’s hosted by Tusk, which has a 25-year history of supporting conservation projects throughout the continent.
A lifetime achievement accolade was handed to Garth Owen-Smith for his successful community-driven initiatives in Namibia, while the inaugural Wildlife Ranger award went to Kenyan Edward Ndiritu for exhibiting bravery and leadership amid the life-threatening dangers posed by poachers.
William praised the courage, commitment and humble nature of the trio and said each man had faced adversity in carrying out his work.
He said: ‘Without people like Garth, Emmanuel and Edward – the true unsung heroes of conservation in Africa – we would be facing a very dire situation indeed.’
‘As the world’s population becomes more and more urbanised, an increasing number of people will grow up with little or no connection to the natural world.’
‘This will become a major challenge for conservationists. If people cannot see it, they will never learn to value it, or worse still will take little interest in looking after it.’