Professor Jack D. Ives, founding editor of Mountain Research and Development, and Professor Bruno Messerli of the University of Berne are among the 5 recipients of the King Albert I Memorial Foundation Award for 2002. The King Albert I Memorial Foundation was established by the King Albert Fund “to honor persons or institutions that have distinguished themselves through exceptional and lasting achievements in the Mountain World.” Persons or institutions chosen for this honor receive The King Albert Medal of Merit, which is awarded from time to time at the discretion of the Foundation. The 5th Award Ceremony took place in the Swiss National Park, Zernez, St Moritz, on 31 August 2002.

The text accompanying the award conferred on Jack Ives reads in part:

Jack Ives notes that his award is virtually identical to that received by Bruno Messerli—a reflection of their 25-year collaboration as codirectors of the United Nations University's Mountain Programme, and of their contribution to the initiation of Mountain Agenda and Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 at the Rio Earth Summit.

MRD heartily congratulates Jack Ives and Bruno Messerli on this honor—a fitting tribute to their long efforts and outstanding achievements on behalf of mountains, mountain communities, and mountain research throughout the world.

As a last minute note, MRD would also like to congratulate Bruno Messerli for recently receiving the “Prix Vautrin Lud” at the Festival de Géographie (FIG 2002), which took place in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, France, in early October. This international award is also known as the “Nobel Prize for Geography.”