 FSM's Kostika receives Fellowship in Marine ConservationPalikir, POHNPEI (Department of Economic Affairs/FSM Information Service): February 10, 2006 - The Department of Economic Affairs has been informed that Willy Kostka - Executive Director of Conservation Society of Pohnpei is the recipient of a Fellowship in recognition of his efforts in marine conservation. The following announcement was received from the Pew Institute for Ocean Science: "Miami, Florida, USA - William Kostka, executive director of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), has won the world's most prestigious award in marine conservation. One of five awardees of the 2006 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation, Kostka will conduct a three-year conservation project and become part of the world's premier network for ocean science and marine conservation. Now celebrating its 16th anniversary, the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation has selected Pew Marine Conservation Fellows from more than 20 countries who have completed projects across the globe. The work in their fellowships is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. "In the tradition of the Pew Fellows, Willy Kostka's leadership in island-based conservation, including establishing marine protected areas and integrated watershed management, has distinguished him as a pioneer of marine conservation, discovering new solutions for protecting and preserving our oceans worldwide," says Ellen Pikitch, Ph.D., a Pew Fellow herself and executive director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Through his fellowship, Kostka will work to establish networks of protected areas in the Micronesian region. Kostka was a member of the first group of Micronesian leaders in conservation formed by the Nature Conservancy, and the Conservation Soceity of Pohnpei (CSP) is the first not-for-profit conservation organization in the FSM. CSP and its partners piloted a grassroots approach to establish the first community-based marine reserve in the FSM, which proved so successful that development has begun on three similar marine protected areas. An international committee of marine specialists selected the 2006 Pew Fellows, based on their potential to protect ocean environments. The other 2006 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation are Exequiel Ezcurra, USA; Narriman Jiddawi, Tanzania, jointly with Glenn-Marie Lange, USA; Robert Richmond, USA; and Enric Sala, USA. Photographs and more information about each of the 2006 Pew Fellows are available upon request. Detailed information about all Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation is available at http://www.pewoceanscience.org. The Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation is part of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, in partnership with the University of Miami. The Pew Institute for Ocean Science strives to undertake, sponsor, and promote world-class scientific activity aimed at protecting the world's oceans and the species that inhabit them. Contact: Polita Glynn, 305-421-4231, polita@rsmas.miami.edu |