One of the first recipients of the award money will be Abney Park cemetery in Hackney, London, which is working to create a green community space in the inner city.

BBC: Cash boost for nature reserves

And officials in Angola's Ministry of the Environment fear that they are seeing the de facto privatisation of yet another valuable national resource especially given the decision of a few weeks ago to award the Kissama Foundation the rights to develop every single national park in Angola.

ECONOMIST: Wildlife conservation

The strategy worked, we got cash flow immediately, and before long we won an award as one of the fastest growing companies in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

FORBES: Building Gorilla Companies with Guerrilla Marketing

Bird haven Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, which is also the headquarters of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the Dunes Coastal Park in the Outer Hebrides have also been short listed for the Best Environment Project award.

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