Prince William honors conservation heroes at Tusk Awards in London

Prince William, the Royal Patron of the Tusk Foundation handed awards to three lucky winners, in a ceremony held at the Savoy Hotel in London.

Among the winners was Nomba Ganamé, who received the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa. Ganamé’s dedication and leadership as Head of Field Operations for the Mali Elephant Project has ensured the survival of Mali’s unique elephants.

The Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa was handed to Edward Aruna. Having founded the Reptile and Amphibian Programme in Sierra Leone back in 2012, Aruna has since gained national recognition through this impactful work.

Claver Ntoyinkima won the Wildlife Ranger Award, which recognises the dedication of an individual who works out in the field on a daily basis, to protect Africa's wildlife. Ntoyinkima works in Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park..

Prince William stated "I believe we are the lucky ones. We live in a world in which incredible wildlife exists. And I want that for the generations that follow."

"I want my children to live in a world where swallows still migrate, gorillas still live in the cloud forests of Uganda, and rhinos still roam the arid rangelands of Namibia. It'll be thanks to extraordinary leaders such as those that we are celebrating today, that this will happen", he added.

As it stands, Africa is on the frontline of a major conservation battle.

Climate change, poaching and over-harvesting remain key obstacles in the fight to preserve wildlife.