The first Quarry Life Award launched by HeidelbergCement raised strong interest from students and researchers with over 300 project proposals competing in 18 countries on four continents.
The first Quarry Life Award launched by HeidelbergCement raised strong interest from students and researchers with over 300 project proposals competing in 18 countries on four continents.
Students and researchers from Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania were asked to submit a project proposal focusing on biodiversity protection and management at the quarries of the group.
The best three projects in each contest will be awarded prizes up to €5,000, and in December 2012, the international jury, including experts from the internationally recognised conservation organisations BirdLife International and the Jane Goodall Institute, will reward the best international projects with awards up to €30,000.
“This competition is a fantastic opportunity for students and researchers to have a deeper look at quarries and to let their ideas promote biodiversity,” says Daniel Gauthier, managing board member of HeidelbergCement and member of the international awards jury.
“The Quarry Life Award offers a unique chance to add true ecological and educational value to a mining environment. For HeidelbergCement, it is a way to promote the exceptional biodiversity of its quarries and to further develop its biodiversity management standards in cooperation with leading universities.”
“We are delighted to see the enthusiasm from students and professors across the participating countries,” says Bernard Mathieu, director global environmental sustainability for HeidelbergCement.
“For an inaugural year we are very pleased to see that every key topic of the contest finds high interest among participants. Great ideas will derive from there to make nature be the biggest winner of this campaign.”
The first evaluation phase of the award contest has started and the top five will be selected in each contest to continue into the next stage of the competition. Starting in March, candidates will perform their field project research to validate and develop their ideas. Final reports will be submitted at the end of September 2012.
