The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) has awarded its Silver Medal of Merit to Mr Nicolás Franco, a former President and Honorary President of the organisation, in recognition of a lifetime of service to conservation and the sustainable use of wildlife. The honour was presented during the gastronomic dinner held at the Monastery of San Pelayo, as part of the CIC’s Executive Committee meeting.
Mr Franco led the CIC as its President from 1993 to 1999, becoming only the second Spanish national to hold the office in the organisation’s history, after Alfonso Urquijo. An economist and naturalist of wide international experience, he has devoted much of his life to the conviction that lies at the heart of the CIC’s mission: that wildlife is best conserved when it is valued, and that well-regulated hunting and sound management are central to thriving habitats and rural communities.
The medal was presented to Mr Franco by Sra. Doña Ana Rodríguez Castaño, Secretary General for Agrarian Resources and Food Safety at the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, before members of the Executive Committee and invited guests, in the restored surroundings of the monastery and against the backdrop of a dinner celebrating wild game prepared by the renowned Spanish chef Luis Alberto Lera. It was a fitting setting in which to recognise a figure whose long association with the Council has helped shape its work over more than three decades.
“Nicolás Franco has given the CIC a lifetime of dedication, and his presidency helped shape the organisation we know today. It is a privilege to honour him with the Silver Medal of Merit, among friends, and in a place that embodies the values he has always defended,” said Luis de la Peña, CIC President.
The recognition of Mr Franco reflects the CIC’s enduring respect for those who have carried its mission forward, and its belief that the future of conservation rests on the same principles he has long championed: that nature is best protected when local people and communities have a genuine stake in its survival.
Media contact
Tristan Breijer MBA FRGS FRSA MCIJ
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
CIC – International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation
Email: tristan.breijer@cic-wildlife.org
Mobile: +44 781 408 7423
Website: www.cic-wildlife.org
