J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership

The prize was first instituted by philanthropist and businessman J. Paul Getty in 1974 as the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize. Initially, the prize had the broad aim to recognize "outstanding contributions to international conservation" but was renamed in 2004 to reflect a restructuring of the award to "give it greater focus and strengthen its impact on conservation."[1] The newly established J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership was awarded for the first time in 2006. In 1983 the Wildlife Conservation Prize was presented to the awardees by President Ronald Reagan at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. According to Russell E. Train, the president of the World Wildlife Fund in the United States at the time, Reagan referred to the Getty Award as the "Nobel Prize for conservation." ==Recipients==

J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership recipients (2008-2006) J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize recipients (2003-1974) ==Brief Awardee Biographies==

• Salim Ali (1975) • Salim Ali, referred to as the "Birdman of India", became the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrote several bird books that popularized ornithology in India. • Dr. K. Ullas Karanth (2007) • Dr. Karanth has done pioneering work on tiger and other carnivore conservation across India, particularly in the Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary. He is also seen as the motivating spirit behind the creation of three protected areas in the Western Ghats forest of Southeastern India. The money will go towards funding graduate research at the National Center for Biological Sciences in Bangalore. ==See also==