HeidelbergCement has announced the winners of the Quarry Life Award public vote. Voting was open to the public between March and September 2014, and the response was so high (over 111 000) that HeidelbergCement decided to recognise the top five most popular project.
- ‘The use of vermicompost from organic food waste as a potential treat for topsoil in restoring biodiversity at quarry site reclamation,’ Ghana. Researcher: Kwasi Boadu Ntiamoah. Votes: 21 355.
- ‘Mining and biodiversity comics publishing to the elementary school students around mine areas,’ Indonesia. Researcher: Yudi L.A Salampessy. Votes: 20 208.
- ‘Biodiversity and education,’ Russia. Researcher: Valentina Tarasova. Votes: 11 625.
- ‘Relevance of pond systems in the increase of biodiversity in a quarry: La Medina,’ Spain. Researcher: Adrián Villastrigo Carbajo. Votes: 10 460.
- ‘Quarry Ribnica in function of conservation of rare and threatened floristic gene pool in B&H,’ Bosnia and Herzegovina. Researcher: Sabina Trakic. Votes: 8059.
The Quarry Life Award seeks to promote biodiversity by inviting students, graduates and researchers to put forward rehabilitation and biodiversity proposals for its extraction sites. National juries will select five proposals in each country ‘based on their added value for nature and society, for innovative aspects, feasibility, raising public awareness and involvement of stakeholders’. These finalists will be eligible to compete in the International Quarry Life Award. The winners of the national contests will be announced throughout November and the winners of the international competition will be revealed on 9 December 2014.
You can find out more information about the projects at www.quarrylifeaward.com.
Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham