The Most Excellent Order of the Golden Ark ( nl, Orde van de Gouden Ark) is a Dutch
order of merit
The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...
established in 1971 by
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. It is awarded to people for major contributions to
nature conservation
Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...
.
Although not awarded by the government of the
Netherlands, it is considered by the government as a recognized chivalrous order. Since its inception, over 300 people have been recognised by the award. Now that Prince Bernhard has died, the future of the order is uncertain.
Notable recipients
*
Ranjit Bhargava
Ranjit Bhargava, is an Indian environmentalist, known for his endeavors towards environmental conservation and his efforts for obtaining UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the upper Ganga region. The Government of India honored him in 2010, ...
*
Carl Gustav of Sweden
*
Gerald Durrell
*
Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Alice Earle ( née Reade; born August 30, 1935) is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scien ...
*
Valerie Taylor
*
Tony Fitzjohn
Anthony Raymond Fitzjohn, Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 July 1945 – 23 May 2022) was a British conservation movement, conservationist who worked extensively with George Adamson at Kora National Park, Kora in Africa.
In recognition of h ...
*
Zafar Futehally
Zafar Rashid Futehally (19 March 1920 – 11 August 2013) was an Indian naturalist and conservationist best known for his work as the secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society and for the ''Newsletter for Birdwatchers'' a periodical that ...
*
Jane Goodall
*
Gyanendra of Nepal
*
Roger Tory Peterson
Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th-century environmental movement.
Background
Peterson was born in Jam ...
*
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh[ (awarded 1971)
* Ian Player
* ]Suman Sahai
Suman Sahai is an Indian activist and the founder of Gene Campaign.
Career
Sahai obtained a Ph.D. from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 1975. She then successively worked at the University of Alberta, University of Chicago, and t ...
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...
(awarded 1973)
See also
* List of environmental awards
References
{{Orders, decorations, and medals of the Netherlands
Awards established in 1971
Golden Ark, Order of the
Golden Ark, Order of the
Golden Ark, Order of the