Oppenheimers receive WWF conservation award

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Oppenheimers receive WWF conservation award

June 21, 2007

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Johannesburg, South Africa—Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of E Oppenheimer and Son and De Beers, and his wife, Strilli Oppenheimer, jointly received the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Lonmin Award for environmental conservation last week.

The award is given to those who promote a culture of sustainable use and conservation of South Africa's natural heritage. The Oppenheimer's received the honor for their active and involved support of conservation projects that promote the biodiversity of the country's various wildlife and vegetation. They were also cited for support of public parks and community development.

Among the projects noted in the award was the establishment in May 2006 of the Diamond Birding Route on the many conservation areas surrounding De Beers mines and on Oppenheimer properties in South Africa. The route is a partnership between BirdLife South Africa, De Beers and the Oppenheimer family company. It serves as a collective and integrated project for all of these unique and different birding conservation areas and is dedicated to biodiversity conservation and ecotourism that help support communities.

"This Award is a fitting acknowledgement of the outstanding contribution the Oppenheimer family and De Beers have made to environmental conservation in our beautiful country," WWF South Africa Chief Executive Officer Rob Little said on presenting the award. "This award recognizes those who promote a culture of sustainable use and conservation of our natural heritage. While many nominations are received every year, this award is only given when a deserving candidate has been identified."

Speaking at the event, Oppenheimer acknowledged his wife as a driving force.

"I do need to admit that the passion and vision driving the multitude of academic, social and public participation projects underway owe their existence to Strilli, not I. The family appreciates the WWF-Lonmin recognition and we hope all those involved in research and managing the many projects are as inspired to continue by this prestigious award as we are," he said.

He added that because of his relationship to diamonds, he's gratified that the stones can continue to demonstrate new ways to contribute to development in Africa that go beyond traditional economic benefits.

Strilli Oppenheimer acknowledged the hundreds of people who contributed to the projects being recognized. She noted that conservation has become an imperative for society.

De Beers Managing Director David Noko offered his congratulations to the Oppenheimers and De Beers employees, noting the importance of the public-private partnership established for the Diamond Birding Route project.

"Such initiatives by companies are central to their business. Focus areas in De Beers in South Africa include the obvious objectives of increasing revenue, making quality new investments, succeeding in transformation objectives and developing the most talented and motivated people in mining; however, the one area which speaks most to the future is having a sustainable business model as a corporate citizen in the best sense of the word," Noko said. "The reputation of a company is built on many tangible and intangible factors, a leading one being the good custodian of the environment with responsibilities to the communities in which we operate."

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