By Nneka Nwogwugwu
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Stanford’s top environmental prize, which recognizes unsung global sustainability heroes around the world.
Anderson Jean who volunteered to assist visiting researchers with a biological inventory of Haiti’s Macaya National Park, has won the 2022 Stanford Bright Award.
“There is much value in what endures, as well as hope for species in the most tenuous circumstances. My dream is to make people understand the biological richness of this country … and how we can make things better for Haiti,” said Jean.
In recognition of his conservation work, Jean will receive the 2022 Bright Award, Stanford’s top environmental prize, presented to an individual or group for their outstanding work in preservation and sustainability.
The Bright Award winner is selected each year from one of ten rotating regions worldwide based on recommendations from regional consultants and a nominating committee comprised of Stanford Law School faculty and students, and led by Stanford Law’s Barton H. Thompson, Jr., the Robert E. Paradise Professor in Natural Resources Law and the former director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
The award was created by a generous gift from Raymond E. Bright, Jr., JD ’59, in memory of his late wife, Marcelle, and was first awarded in 2013.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of this generous gift from Ray and the Bright family that has provided much-needed support to environmental heroes from around the world as well as an international platform to showcase their critical, earth-saving work,” said Jenny Martinez, the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and dean of Stanford Law School.
Haiti’s native species are gravely threatened in part by habitat loss due to widespread deforestation, which dates to the Colonial era when land was cleared for the coffee, sugar, and timber industries, but has continued in recent decades. One study estimates that less than 1% of Haiti’s original primary forest remains intact.
