Introduction
The France HABE Prize is awarded by the Karst and the Cave Protection Commission of the International Union of Speleology (UIS).
The prize is named in memory and honor of Dr. France HABE († 10/12/1999) of Slovenia (Yugoslavia), who among his other many accomplishments served as President of the UIS Protection Department (1973-1997).
Its purpose is to promote the protection of karst and caves for generations to come. Their natural legacy is a proven source of increasingly rich information about the history of our planet and humanity, enabling people to act more thoughtfully, efficiently, and sustainably for the future of our environment.
The 2021 Prize
Four submissions were received on time for actions and activities in Belize, France, Germany and Spain.
They concern awareness-raising, competitions, conservation and inventories.
The Jury of the France Habe Prize 2021 was composed by 3 members of the Scientific Committee of the UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission.
They noted each submission following an evaluation frame about presentation, compilation, photography, scientific content, legibility and original point of view. They decided unanimously to attribute the France Habe Prize 2021, an amount of € 250, to the best and more original contribution.
The winner of this year is the “Our friends bats” project. It is a project carried out by the Speleological Group of Villacarrillo (GEV) to make young people aware of the environment and in particular that of caves and thus enable them to understand the importance of bats in the world.
The winner will present its project in the very next UIS Bulletin.
The Jury congratulates the others participants for their investment in speleology and cave/karst protection.
Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns
UIS Karst and Cave Protection Commission
President