This evening, the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, awarded the 27th Catalunya International Prize to British primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall in recognition of “her significant scientific contribution” and “her analytical, empirical and committed research” in the field of environmental conservationism.
During the event, President Mas highlighted Goodall’s legacy in the study of animal behaviour and underlined that with this award Catalonia also commits itself to a “social and economic progress which takes into account a fair and coherent treatment of our surroundings and, therefore, of our cultures, languages, animals and landscapes, etc.”.
In this regard, Artur Mas maintained that in the last three decades, since the country regained the ability to govern itself, “Catalonia has done remarkable things in the field of sustainability and the protection of animals”.
“This progress has been demonstrated”, explained the President, “through various legislative initiatives”. Mas explained that the first of these initiatives came in the form of the animal protection law that the Parliament passed 27 years ago and which was reviewed at the beginning of the twenty-first century; the second significant initiative was the law banning bullfights in Catalonia and the third was the law passed by Parliament in the last session of this legislature, prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses.
Three laws which, as the President noted, add to the legal architecture created over 20 years ago in order “to make Catalonia one of the most protected territories in the EU”. Mas explained that “thirty per cent of our small territory is protected by [environmental] laws in hopes of becoming a reference when carrying out this legitimate economic and social progress”, whilst, at the same time, doing it “in harmony with nature”, he added.
Lastly, Artur Mas emphasized that, in the same way Goodall maintained during her acceptance speech, the most important difference between the animal kingdom and human beings “is that humans have managed to develop a very sophisticated language”. However, in this respect, Goodall questioned the use of developing a language “if we are not capable of using it to protect our environment, which is also our future”.
Prior to this evening’s award ceremony, Dr Jane Goodall held a press conference at the Palau de la Generalitat, during which she highlighted Catalonia’s leading role in the defending animal rights. In this respect Goodall expressed her contentment with the Catalan Government’s initiatives, especially in the banning of bullfighting and the use of wild animals in the circuses. “The banning of bullfights in Catalonia is an absolutely wonderful thing and something the Catalans can be very proud of”, noted the celebrated environmentalist.
152 candidates from 52 countries
In this year’s edition of the award, there were 152 candidates from 52 countries put forward by 180 institutions and by members of the jury. Eventually, the jury unanimously reached the decision to award Jane Goodall with the 27th Catalunya International Prize.
In the jury’s minutes, published in May, the judges highlighted “her significant scientific contribution, which has given us a better understanding of human nature, culture and behaviour”. The jury also noted that, in demonstrating that these aspects are not independent phenomena, Goodall had also encouraged “solidarity among living beings, sustainability within our environment and peace among men and women”.
The Catalunya International Prize (Premi Internacional Catalunya) is awarded annually by the Generalitat to distinguish those whom have made a significant contribution to the development of cultural, scientific, or human values around the world. Past recipients of the award include Aung San Suu Kyi, Jimmy Carter, Karl Popper, Jacques Delors, Amartya Sen, and more recently, Malala Yousafzai and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.