Journalists Marvin del Cid and Suhelis Tejero won first place in the fifth edition of the Environmental Journalism Award for their reports published in Diario Libre. Del Cid, with the work “Sierra de Bahoruco: a long struggle between conservation and agriculture” and Tejero with an approach to the impact of climate change on the economy, under the title “La amenaza del cambio climático se cierne sobre la economía” (The threat of climate change looms over the economy).
The jury was made up of Max Puig, executive vice president of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL), the executive director of the Dominican Environmental Consortium, Sésar Rodríguez, Ana Bélgica Güichardo, director of the PUCMM School of Communication, as well as Víctor Bautista, journalist, teacher and CEO of Mediáticos and the journalist and winner of the last edition of the award, Addis Burgos.
Based on the competitive quality of the works presented by Marvin del Cid and Suhelis Tejero, the jury decided to double the first place, based on the fact that both obtained the same number of votes in the evaluations and to award the economic endowment that comes with the first prize of RD$500,000 each.
“It is a reality that the environment is an issue that fortunately is becoming increasingly important in Dominican society, as well as the responsibility that each of us have as citizens for its preservation. The growth in the number of journalistic works submitted since 2016 is proof of this and as a group we will continue to bet on this initiative to promote best practices and generate awareness to achieve the sustainable development goals of which we are signatories,” said Roberto Herrera, country manager of Interenergy Group.
Contribution to education
María Alicia Urbaneja, executive director of Ecored, said that the award is a contribution to awareness and education on such an immense issue as the environment and, without a doubt, each work is a grain of sand for the sustainable development of the Dominican Republic.
Upon receiving his award, del Cid thanked the organizers and members of the jury, as well as all the people and institutions that collaborated in the journalistic work presented. “‘Sierra de Bahoruco: a long struggle between conservation and agriculture’ is a work that took me a long time to do, and although Sierra de Bahoruco still bleeds from its veins, I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” he expressed.
Inés Aizpún, director of Diario Libre, highlighted the efforts made by the newspaper to give visibility to environmental issues affecting the country. “We are very proud that for the editorial staff of Diario Libre, the environment is one of the cornerstones of our identity,” she said. He accepted the award on behalf of Suhelis Tejero, who is out of the country.
Also winning in this fifth edition were journalists Felivia Mejía, who won second place and a prize of RD$250,000 for her report “Nada se pierde, todo se transforma”, published in Forbes magazine, and Odalis Castillo, who received third place and RD$100,000 for her work that motivates the importance of protecting the biodiversity of Jaragua National Park, “Blanco Turbi: Leyenda del Jaragua”, published through the program Nuria Investigación Periodística.
Special mentions were given to Silvia Camacho, of Diario Libre, with an article on bamboo as a sustainable alternative; Yaniris López, of Listín Diario, with a focus on the country’s ecosystems and natural solutions to climate change and Alcides Nova, of El Dinero, with an article on electric mobility and sustainable tourism.
The award ceremony took place during a ceremony held at Cava Alta, in Santo Domingo, with the participation of representatives of the sponsoring entities, journalists, members of the jury and special guests.
The event was attended by Inka Mattila, UNDP resident representative; Mariel Bera, president of ECORED; and César Dargam, executive vice-president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP).
The Environmental Journalism Award is sponsored by the Consorcio Energético Punta Cana Macao (CEPM), Energas, InterEnergy Group and Ecored, with a total prize of RD$850,000, which ended up increasing to RD$1,350,000 due to the tie for first place.
