2011

Belinda Stewart- Cox with her OBE, and Jittin Ritthirat, the ECN’s co-founder

ATS member and Director of the Elephant Conservation Network in Thailand, Belinda Stewart-Cox, was named on the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June and recently attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace to receive her OBE.  Belinda has spent the last 25 years working for wildlife conservation in Thailand, most recently with the Elephant Conservation Network (ECN).   In a recent article in the Bangkok Post, she recounted her experience of the ceremony:  "We approached [the Queen] only after our names were announced to the room, along with my designation and the award citation. The Queen pinned the award onto my coat lapel while saying how very pleased she was that my work had been recognised after all these years. She seemed genuinely interested and asked a string of questions: Where did I work in Thailand? Did I see wild elephants often? How many survived in the wild? What was the main problem for them? I told her about our work with villagers and rangers to help turn conflict into coexistence"...."I'm thrilled that all those years of effort have been recognised in this way, but I'm also aware that I could not have achieved anything worthwhile without the kind and committed help of the many good people I have been, and still am, privileged to work with in Thailand."

To view an interview with Belinda talking about the award and her work with the ECN please click here