Five environmental activists named 'Champions of the Earth'

 

Islamabad (Point news / Pakistan Point News - 11th December, 2024 ) Five individuals and one initiative, including Brazil’s first minister for indigenous peoples, a courageous defender of the natural environment in Romania and a Chinese environmental scientist, have been named this year’s Champions of the Earth, the United Nations’ highest environmental honor.

The honors recognize those who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, bold action and sustainable approaches to addressing land degradation, drought and desertification.

The honor is given to individuals and organizations from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society who are at the forefront of efforts to protect people and the planet.

Since 2005, 122 individuals and initiatives have received the honor. This year, their names were announced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Extraordinary efforts honored

Announcing the honorees, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said that nearly 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded, while aridity is increasing and droughts are becoming more frequent.

However, the good news is that solutions exist, and extraordinary individuals and organizations around the world are proving that it is possible to protect the planet and reverse the damage it is causing.

She said that the remarkable efforts of this year’s honorees are a reminder that we have a fight to protect our land and rivers, and that humans have the ability to succeed in this endeavor.

The world’s ecosystems can be restored through the right policies, significant achievements, system reforms, activism and the leadership and wisdom of indigenous peoples.

Protecting Indigenous Peoples and the Environment

Brazil’s Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Sonia Guajajara, was honored for her leadership in policymaking.

Guajajara has been working for the rights of indigenous peoples for nearly two decades. In 2023, she was appointed the country's first minister for indigenous peoples, and she herself is an indigenous person. Under her leadership, 10 sites in Brazil were designated for indigenous peoples, where deforestation, illegal logging and drug trafficking are strictly prohibited.

Restoring the river environment

Ammy Bowers Cordells from the United States also works for the rights of indigenous peoples, and was honored for her impressive performance and practical actions for this cause.

Cordells is using her legal expertise and passion to work for a better future for the Yurok tribe and the Clemente River in the United States.

According to UNEP, their work to restore river ecosystems and encourage sustainable fishing practices has demonstrated how bold environmental action can bring about positive change while upholding the rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples.

Boldly protecting biodiversity

Romanian conservationist Gabriel Paun also received the award in the category of impressive performance and action.

He is the founder of Agent Green, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has helped protect thousands of hectares of valuable biodiversity in the Carpathian Mountains since 2009. The area is home to Europe’s last remaining ancient forest, which was on the verge of collapse and was seriously threatened by illegal logging.

He has also received death threats for his work and has faced attacks for collecting data on the region’s declining forests.

The area is not only important from an ecological perspective, but also provides a unique biodiversity for the survival of endangered lynx and wolves.

Extraordinary forest conservation project

Chinese scientist Lu Ke was awarded the prize for his outstanding achievements in science and innovation. He has worked in the fields of science and policy for three decades, helping China control land degradation and reduce desertification.

As a senior scientist at the Chinese Academy of Forestry and founding president of the Great Wall of China Institute, he played a prominent role in implementing the world's largest forest conservation project in the country. In this regard, he established a research network of experts and partnerships that promoted multilateral cooperation to prevent land degradation, desertification and drought.

Research work on land degradation

Indian environmentalist Madhu Gadgil has been recognized for his lifelong work on environmental conservation. He has spent decades working with local communities and through his research, taken steps to protect people and the planet.

From assessing the environmental impact of state and national policies to engaging people at the grassroots level in environmental conservation efforts, his long-standing work on this issue has helped to raise public awareness and shape effective government policies to protect natural resources.

His seminal work on environmental degradation in India's Western Ghats region is a notable reference. The region is one of the world's most threatened areas for biodiversity.

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture

The initiative 'SEKAM', launched in Egypt to move farmers towards more sustainable agriculture, has received this award in the category of far-reaching business concept for environmental protection.

Under this initiative, through biodynamic agriculture and forest protection work, thriving agricultural businesses have been started in arid areas on large areas, which has promoted sustainable development across the country.

Global environmental protection

According to UNEP, 3.2 billion people in the world are currently at risk of land degradation. Not only this, but by 2050, more than three-quarters of the world's population is expected to be affected by drought.

In March 2019, the United Nations General Assembly declared the ten years from 2021 to 2030 as the Decade for Ecosystem Restoration through a resolution.

Led by UNEP, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and partners, the Decade aims to halt and reverse the loss of ecosystems worldwide, thereby protecting billions of hectares of land and water.

This year’s ‘Champions of the Earth’ recipients were announced on the sidelines of the International Day for the Elimination of Cruelty to Animals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.