Saturday, December 6, 2008

2008/09 Antarctic Youth Ambassador Announced


Libby in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam (Photo: K. Smyth)

Libby Liggins of Auckland has been selected as this year’s Antarctic Youth Ambassador.

The award, developed by Antarctica New Zealand in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust, aims to provide an opportunity for a young New Zealander to contribute to environmental work in Antarctica. Libby Liggins is the second recipient of this award which attracted a large number of high quality applicants.

“I was very impressed by the calibre of people who were applying for this award. Most of the applicants were already contributing a lot to the environment and it was inspiring to see so much passion in the new generation of New Zealanders,” said Laura Fayerman, Environmental Programme Manager from the Sir Peter Blake Trust, and a member of the award selection panel.

Libby Liggins, 25 years old, has just completed a Master of Science in Conservation Biology. She has experience as a Research Assistant for Victoria University Coastal Ecology Laboratory and as a Research Assistant for the Latitudinal Gradient Project in the Ross Sea. Libby has won a number of awards and scholarships, including the Enderby Trust Expedition scholarship, The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society Stocker Scholarship and the Robert G. Jaeger award for graduate research.

“I am very excited about gaining the Antarctic Youth Ambassador position. It is an amazing opportunity. I feel hugely honoured to represent Antarctica New Zealand and the Sir Peter Blake Trust, to relay their values and the importance of Antarctica to young New Zealanders. Antarctica is a very special place and our nation has a presence there that every New Zealander should know about and be proud of,” Libby said.

Libby will be travelling to Scott Base in January 2009 where she will be contributing to the environmental monitoring of the Crater Hill wind turbine site. The wind turbine project, which is a collaboration between Antarctica New Zealand and Meridian Energy, will begin construction this coming summer season. Libby will be contributing to the team which will monitor the impacts of construction over a three year period.

Environment Manager for Antarctica New Zealand, Dr Neil Gilbert, says he is pleased with Libby’s selection and with the Youth Ambassador programme. “Libby is an outstanding recipient for this award which invests in the future of the Antarctic environment by building capability and understanding in young New Zealanders,” he said.


For more information please contact:

Matt Vance
Communications Advisor
Ph: 03 358 0213 (Direct)
Cell: 021 997 993
Email: m.vance@antarcticanz.govt.nz

Laura Fayerman
Environmental Programme Manager

Sir Peter Blake Trust Ph: 0274 954 311 Email: lauraf@sirpeterblaketrust.org

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Libby! It is great to see that once again New Zealand provides leadership in so many areas and across all age groups. With the passion that you show fro the environment, you are a great choice. With best wishes from Yvonne Lundon-Marchant (ex-pat living in London)

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