Randall Arauz Receives Another Environmental Award

The president of the Costa Rican non-governmental organization the Marine Turtle Restoration Program (Pretoma), Randall Arauz, won Sweden’s 2010 Göteborg Award for sustainable development Wednesday for his work in combating shark finning in Costa Rican waters.

As one of two recipients of this year’s Göteborg prize, Arauz will receive 500,000 Swedish kronas (roughly $71,000), half of the one million krona total that is split between the winners.

Arauz and Pretoma have launched several campaigns against shark finning in recent years and helped establish a law that requires all sharks in Costa Rica to be docked with their fins attached.

The Göteborg prize is the second major environmental recognition that Arauz has received this year. In April, he won the Goldman award, considered among the highest honors for environmentalists, also for his work in fighting illegal shark finning.

Ken Sherman, a U.S. oceanographer, was also a recipient of this year’s Göteborg award.