Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Award

Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Award

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December 9, 2019 / 5 mins read

Alexandra Pierre of Haiti Receives 2019 Award for Outstanding Environmental Leadership in the Insular Caribbean

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The Advisory Committee of the Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Leadership Award of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) is pleased to announce the selection of Alexandra Pierre (of Haiti) for receipt of the 2019 McFarlane Award, in recognition of her important work as a dedicated and passionate environmentalist. Ms. Pierre was selected from a field of ten nominations that also included individuals from Barbados, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Nevis, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Recipients of the McFarlane Award are recognized as individuals who have applied themselves to the preservation of the natural or built environment in the insular Caribbean and whose career or avocation demonstrates an appreciation of and support for the advancement of environmental stewardship and balanced development in the Caribbean.The Committee believes that the presentation of the McFarlane Award to Ms. Pierre will highlight the importance of conservation efforts in Haiti and the role that courageous and dedicated individuals can play.

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Ms. Pierre was nominated by a colleague, who highlighted her engagement with a variety of civil society organizations and international agencies, her leadership of CYEN (Caribbean Youth Environment Network) and Reef Check in Haiti, and her achievements that have linked field work with policy making. Ms. Pierre has held several positions at the Haitian Ministry of Environment: representing the Ministry before technical and financial partners, including The Nature Conservancy, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund; and liaising for the promotion of a blue economy and implementation of cooperative actions for the conservation of aquatic resources in Haiti. She is currently a senior staff member for the Directorate of River Basins at the Ministry, where she serves on a committee in charge of evaluating proposals for the transfer of shark DNA to an American laboratory. Ms. Pierre is an Architect Engineer with a double master in environment and education, a certified eco-diver, a recognized Haitian youth leader, an environmental reporter for the online media outlet, Impulse, and has plans to enter a PhD program in marine conservation.

The Euan P. McFarlane Award was established in 1987 to recognize individuals demonstrating initiative, resourcefulness and leadership in promoting conservation and enhancement of the environment in the insular Caribbean. Endowment funding for the award was provided by the late businessman and conservationist Laurance S. Rockefeller, and the program was initially administered by Island Resources Foundation from 1987-2014. The McFarlane Leadership Award is now managed by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands as part of its program of support to youth, learning, family support and the environment.

McFarlane Award Recipients 1988-2019

Year Recipient Island Year Recipient Island
1988 Yves Renard St. Lucia 2004 Dr. Joth Singh Barbados
1989 Mervin Williams St. Lucia 2005 Diana McCaulay Jamaica
1990 Ronald Charles Arlington James Dominica 2006 Raymond Walker British Virgin Islands
1991 Alissandra Cummins Barbados 2007 Dr. I. Earle A. Kirby St. Vincent
1992-93 Kevel C. Lindsay Antigua 2008-09 Rueben J. Thompson St. Maarten
1994-95 Jalaludin Ahmad Khan Trinidad 2010 Albert Hugh “Errol” Harris Dominica
1996-97 Reginald Murphy Maurice Widdowson Antigua St. Kitts 2011-12 Karim Hodge Anguilla
1998 Andrew Simpson US Virgin Islands 2013 Patricia Turpin Tobago
1999 Ian Lambie Trinidad 2014 John Mussington Barbuda
2000 David Robinson Nevis 2015 Kester Charles Grenada
2001 Charles Chavoudiga Guadeloupe 2016 Tadzio Bervoets St. Maarten
2002 Jacqueline and Larry
Armony
St. Kitts 2019 Alexandra Pierre Haiti
2003 Dr. Brian Cooper Antigua