Earthshot Prize Venue in Mumbai Draws Criticism Over Its Owner
The Prince of Wales's Earthshot prize will hold this year's awards ceremony at a venue owned by the Ambani family conglomerate. Conservation groups say that choice sits badly with the prize's aims.
An Earthshot spokesperson confirmed that the ceremony will take place at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on 17 November. The prize gives £1m to each of five winners every year to fund conservation work.
An owner with oil and a zoo
The venue belongs to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries. The group also owns Jamnagar, the world's biggest oil refinery, in Gujarat. Its philanthropic arm funds Vantara, a 400-hectare private zoo founded by Mukesh's son Anant Ambani. The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, inaugurated it last year.
The zoo holds more than 150,000 animals, according to reports, among them some of the world's most endangered species. Conservation groups have questioned how quickly the collection grew and where the animals came from.
What the critics say
Megan Carr of the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa warned that the venue "could lend an unearned environmental prestige to a corporate group currently under question by the global conservation community."
Daniela Freyer, co-founder of the German group Pro Wildlife, said a prize that aims to protect nature and fix the climate should take care not to lend its reputation to these questions. Susan Cheyne of the IUCN's small apes section said it remains unproven that Vantara's approach supports conservation.
The wildlife trade backdrop
This week the governing committee of Cites, the UN-administered body that regulates trade in endangered species, asked India for another report on its imports of protected species. It also asked the Cites secretariat to review 11 cases in which questions remain over how animals reached Vantara. Pro Wildlife says the committee decided to keep India under its compliance procedure.
Vantara has denied allegations of wildlife trafficking. India's supreme court cleared Vantara last year over allegations about how its animals were obtained and treated. Vantara, Kensington Palace and the venue were approached for comment.
The Earthshot response
Joanna Swift, Earthshot's executive director of communications, said the prize had not sought a philanthropic partnership and was paying the standard commercial rate. She said the centre was chosen because it met the practical needs of a large event. She added that it hosted the first Mumbai climate week in February.
Swift also said it was vital to host an edition in India, since Mumbai is the sixth largest city on earth and home to exceptional environmental solutions.
Source: The Guardian