On 7 May 2014, Dr Luc Hoffmann, the founder of the Tour du Valat, received the Zayed International Prize for the Environment, along with four other prize winners, including Prince Albert II of Monaco. This international prize for the environment was awarded for the sixth time since 1999 to recognise the work of key figures who are particularly active in defending the environment internationally.
Luc Hoffmann received his award in the third category for “environmental actions that have resulted in positive changes in society”, for the work he has accomplished throughout his life to preserve wetlands, and improve our knowledge of wetland and waterbird ecology.
In addition to founding the Tour du Valat in 1954, Luc Hoffmann has also been one of the Directors of Wetlands International and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He also helped to establish WWF International, the Banc d’Arguin international foundation (FIBA), and was the “founding father” of the Ramsar Convention on wetlands adopted in 1971. Finally, he has published a large number of books on waterbirds throughout his career.