DSC has selected Khalil Karimov of the Republic of Tajikistan to receive the 2018 Peter Hathaway Capstick Hunting Heritage Award. DSC will present Karimov with this honor at its Convention and Expo, Legacy, at Saturday evening’s banquet, Jan. 6, 2018.
Named after the well-known American author, whose defense of the international big game hunting community and the role of conservation of wildlife and its habitat made him a household name, the award is the most prestigious honor given by DSC. The Capstick Award is presented to individuals or organizations whose achievements reveal a sustained and significant contribution to the conservation of wildlife and its habitat.
Karimov is the living, breathing embodiment of the vision of the award. A professional hunter, guide, conservationist and wildlife visionary nonpareil, he is responsible for changing the face of hunting in Tajikistan. Karimov established the Hunting and Conservation Alliance of Tajikistan (HCAT), a non-governmental organization whose profits from sustainable hunting are reinvested into nature conservation and community development in and around the conservancies.
“This exceptional man is the epitome of the hunter/conservationist ethic,” Fiona Capstick, widow of Peter Hathaway Capstick, said. “Khalil Karimov boldly and transparently involves local communities in Tajikistan’s sustainable hunting programs. The major consequences of this policy are the consistent development of those communities and the dynamic, scientifically supported conservation of habitat and wildlife. This message of courage, common sense and mutual respect transcends all borders, all time zones and all language differences in the quest for the sustained conservation of the world’s wildlife patrimony.”
Richard Cheatham, chair of the Capstick Award Committee, said, “Mr. Karimov is widely recognized as the architect of a wildlife management policy that has earned the respect of the international community – the kind of system that will provide indisputable evidence of the value of hunting as a crucial and indispensable component of sound wildlife management strategy for generations.”
Karimov’s achievements and accomplishments make him eminently qualified to join the ranks of the Capstick recipients.
