Loayza is the former director of Planning at SERNAP (Bolivia’s National Park Service) and was also director of Apolobamba National Park and Madidi National Park. 

“At the Wildlife Conservation Society, we all extend our congratulations to our colleague, Oscar Loayza,” said WCS President and CEO Cristián Samper. “His innovative approaches – ensuring the inclusion of indigenous communities in protected area management – exemplifies WCS’s conservation action across the globe. We thank the IUCN community for recognizing Oscar with the Kenton Miller Award.” 

“We are inspired by Oscar’s work, and delighted to present the Kenton Miller Award to this well-deserving individual,” says Nik Lopoukhine, Chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas. “His innovative approach to governance of protected areas has ensured that not only do indigenous people participate in the process, but they are empowered and become an integral part of it.” 

The Kenton Miller Award is given annually by IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. Named for Dr. Kenton R. Miller, one of the leading figures in international protected area conservation, the award honors innovation in communications, planning and management, finance and economics, assessment, monitoring and evaluation, learning and capacity building, or governance.

WCS has worked in the Madidi-Tambopata Landscape since 1999. It is known for its staggering biodiversity containing more than 11 percent of the world’s bird diversity as well as hundreds of mammal, fish, and reptile species.

WCS’s work in the Madidi-Tambopata Landscape has been made possible by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the blue moon fund, USAID, the Beneficia Foundation, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, and other generous supporters.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth. Visit www.wcs.org.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation, scientific research, and patient care. The Foundation’s Environmental Conservation Program aims at changing the ways in which people use terrestrial, freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems to conserve critical ecological systems and functions, while allowing sustainable use. For more information, please visit www.moore.org.

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, the Foundation works to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and understand how technology is affecting children and society. More information is at www.macfound.org.