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Sakhalin Salmon Initiative Named "Best Program" in Russia's Corporate Donor AwardsPress Releases
Russian business community recognizes the Sakhalin Salmon Initiative, founded by Sakhalin Energy Investment Company and the Wild Salmon Center, as a leading example of corporate-public partnership
Moscow, Russia, December 2, 2009
The Sakhalin Salmon Initiative (SSI) won first place at the 2009 Corporate Donor of Russia Awards in the category "Best program demonstrating corporate philanthropy policy and social investment principles." This was one of three awards for Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, which ranked among the top companies in Russia for corporate philanthropy.
"The support that Sakhalin Energy brings to wild salmon conservation and social development on Sakhalin Island is unique among corporations, and it shows how public-private partnerships can bring positive changes to the region," said Guido Rahr, President of the Wild Salmon Center. "We hope this sets a precedent for future salmon conservation work on Sakhalin and in other regions of Russia."
Launched in 2006 with the support of Sakhalin Energy Investment Company and the Wild Salmon Center, the Sakhalin Salmon Initiative unites government agencies, businesses, environmental non-profit organizations, and the general public in an effort to conserve and sustainably manage wild salmon on Sakhalin Island, which is located in the Russian Far East just north of Japan.
Salmon are an important ecological and economic resource in the Russian Far East. Sakhalin Island is home to 11 species of salmon and is the third most abundant salmon region in the world, after Alaska and Kamchatka. Over 32,000 jobs on Sakhalin have ties to the salmon fishing industry.
Sakhalin Energy Investment Company and the Wild Salmon Center signed a landmark agreement that jointly funds the initiative, a four-year, $8.8 million program for wild salmon conservation on Sakhalin Island. The Sakhalin Salmon Initiative is managed by the Sakhalin-based SSI Center and overseen by a coordinating committee of twenty-three local organizations.
In its first three years, the Sakhalin Salmon Initiative has coordinated several large-scale salmon conservation projects, including: efforts to combat salmon poaching; the promotion of sustainable salmon fisheries management through market-based incentives; the creation of a network of watershed councils; a Russian Academy of Sciences monitoring program for the endangered Sakhalin taimen; and the development of environmental education and community outreach programs.
The Corporate Donor of Russia Awards recognizes the best practices in corporate philanthropy in Russia to date and is organized by the Donor Forum, the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti (published jointly with The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times), and PricewaterhouseCoopers.Download pdf version of Press Release.