DUSHANBE, May 3, 2011, Asia-Plus -- An award ceremony for the winners of the national eco journalism competition “The Specially Preserved Natural Territories: Preservation of Bio Diversity and Ecological Systems in the Amudarya River Basin” was held in Dushanbe on May 3 on sidelines of a roundtable organized by the Environmental Protection Squad.

The competition was held in framework of the WWF-Norway project, The Integrated Water Resources Management and Environmental Protection in the Tigrovaya Balka Reserve – Amudarya Basin.

The goal of the competition was to promote development and active involvement of mass media in Tajikistan and increase professional skills of journalists from radio, TV companies, Internet websites and press centers of the educational centers in covering the environmental protection issues.  

Journalists in their works touched upon related problems such as environmental protection, preservation of bio diversity and specially preserved natural territories.  The informational materials, which were considered by the contest jury, were aired in electronic mass media or published in print media from June 1, 2010 to April1, 2011.

After consideration of all submitted works, the jury took the following decision:

In the category “Radio Reporting”: 1st place – Jamoliddin Sayfiddinov from Sadoi Dushanbe; 2nd place – Gulandom Ashourova from Radio Tojikiston; 3rd place – Gulnora Nasriddinova from Sadoi Dushanbe.

In the category “Printed Materials”: 1st place – Sayfiddin Sunnati from Javononi Tojikiston ; 2nd place – Majid Salim from Navrouzgoh .

In the category “TV Reporting”: 2nd place – Oymoh Hasanova from the Khatlon TV station; 3rd place – Sadriddin Hasanzoda from the Bahoriston TV Channel.

In the category “Internet Publication”: 2nd place – Orzou Karim from BBC’s Tajik Service; 3rd place – Nazir Nazirov from the Khovar News Agency.

An informational support to the event was provided by the Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century.”