GRAND CAYMAN—OCTOBER 19, 2011— A unique blend of artist, conservationist, scientist, diver, angler and explorer, Guy Harvey’s lifetime of extraordinary support of conservation through artistic excellence is being recognized by the Artists for Conservation (AFC) during a November festival gala in Vancouver, BC Canada.

One of the most recognized and celebrated marine wildlife artists in the world, with his art adorning everything from clothing to large-scale murals to the walls of museums, Harvey has been named the recipient of the 2011 Simon Combes Conservation Award. He joins the likes of David Shepherd and Robert Bateman.

Harvey will receive the award, a trophy design created by Peter Gray of South Africa, on November 5^th, during the opening weekend of the 2011 Artists for Conservation Festival at Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, Canada.

The AFC created the Simon Combes Conservation Award in 2005 to honor Simon Combes, a world-renowned painter, author, instructor and dedicated conservationist.  He served as Director of the Kenya chapter of the Rhino Rescue Trust.  Combes was tragically killed by a charging Cape Buffalo (wounded by poachers), while hiking near his home in Kenya in 2004.

“The great significance in receiving this year’s Simon Combes Conservation Award is being included among other artists whose work I have admired over many years,” says Harvey, who over the years has received numerous awards and accolades.  “We are living in times when artists can make important statements about the condition and over-exploitation of the natural world around us.”

Also a professor of marine biology, Harvey’s conservation efforts embrace many threatened and endangered species of marine wildlife, including sharks, marlin, bluefin tuna, Nassau grouper, sea turtles and other species.

Collaboration between Harvey and Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU)Oceanographic Center resulted in the creation of the Guy Harvey Research Institute (GHRI) in 1999, with a mission to provide scientific information necessary to understand, conserve and effectively manage the world’s marine fishes and their ecosystems.  In 2008, Harvey started the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to funding leading scientists as they develop new strategies for sensible fisheries management, and educators, who will create novel instructional programs to stimulate futures scientists and new stewards of the marine environment.

To see the GHOF 2011 highlight video, visit the Dr. Guy Harvey Channel on YouTube.