Thanks to his excellent work to conserve orang-utans in Sarawak, Dr. Melvin Gumal has been honored with a 2014 Whitley Award. He is one of eight individuals to be awarded the prestigious international conservation prize.

As the WCS Malaysia Program Director, Melvin Gumal has initiated programs to engage local communities with park management through eco-tourism, guiding, and developing alternative livelihood sources. Now that the Sumatran rhino and the Banteng are considered extinct, the Bornean orang-utan is the last iconic large mammal left in Sarawak, Malaysia. Dr. Gumal and his team of researchers work tirelessly to secure the future of the endgangered species.

Sir David Attenborough, a Trustee of the Whitley Fund for Nature, said: “Whitley Award winners are successful because they don’t just watch and measure – they act! They are the conservation experts – not us – they know what to do and, more importantly, how to get it done.”

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