Jairo Mora Sandoval Bravery Award Presentation

The Jairo Mora Sandoval Award for bravery in the service of conservation was launched by the Policy Committee of the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology at the 2016 IMCC in St. Johns, Newfoundland. The award... [ view full abstract ]

The Jairo Mora Sandoval Award for bravery in the service of conservation was launched by the Policy Committee of the Marine Section of the Society for Conservation Biology at the 2016 IMCC in St. Johns, Newfoundland. The award includes a financial contribution to the conservation efforts of the recipient. The inaugural recipient was Jairo Mora Sandoval, with funds going to his family, who are trying to continue his work by setting up various organisations in Costa Rica.
This year the Jairo Award goes to our first nominated recipient, who has been a tireless advocate for enslaved workers in the fishing industry in SE Asia. Our winner has helped rescue 3,000 trafficked fish workers stranded on remote islands in Indonesian waters by the Thai fishing industry from their slavery and provided emergency services including food, clothing, and acute medical care. Our recipient also runs programs to help migrant workers and their children to gain legal status to be eligible for minimum pay rates, medical and school benefits, and to overcome recruitment debt.
This unsung hero of the conservation movement and a fitting candidate for this award, having put herself in incredible danger and peril to improve the lives of workers in this industry as well as its environmental sustainability. Slavery and labor rights abuses are intricately linked to the illegal fishing trade, which has huge impacts on the marine ecosystems and fishery resources in the SE Asia region and beyond. Ensuring that workers are treated fairly and in accordance with international human rights and labor standards is critical to the fight to reduce illegal fishing and ensure the sustainability of fisheries and marine biodiversity as well as the social performance of this sector.
Come and be introduced to the 2018 Jairo Moral Sandoval Bravery Award recipient!