We are in the process of establishing the Kate Stokes Memorial Fund as an independent charity, which will be linked with the BP Conservation Programme, and to date we have raised approximately $100,000 for the fund. This year’s award of $5,000 is going to a young team from Azerbaijan who won a 2007 Conservation Follow-up Award. With this added support, the team will provide training for park rangers and scientific workers of protected areas.

The infrastructure of protected areas in Azerbaijan fell apart after the collapse of the Soviet Union and almost all of the old staff left. The new generation of protected area managers lack knowledge and there are currently no government programmes to build their skills and capacity appropriately. In addition to the ranger training, the team will prepare a monitoring book in the Azeri language, which will be new for the country and will help to further build capacity and strengthen relations with governmental organizations.

KENVO, a group supported by the BP Conservation Programme in Kenya, planted an olive tree last year in honor of Kate Stokes. The tree is growing nicely in the KENVO botanical garden and they have now placed a commemorative sign next to the tree. They continue to look after the tree so that it can grow in peace.