The Sierra Madre Occidental in Northern Mexico extends for over 1,000 miles and is the most biologically diverse ecosystem in North America. The Sierra Madres' isolation and deeply corrugated topography has attracted drug traffickers and illegal logging operations. Only two percent of the region's old growth forest remains. Undaunted by the violent climate generated by the drug trade, Edwin Bustillos (d. 2003), an agricultural engineer, was determined to create a 1.3 million acre biosphere reserve in the Sierra Madre to protect both its highly endangered ecosystems and 12 native Tarahumara and Tepehuan communities that have lived in the mountains for two thousand years. To accomplish this Bustillos, a native of the Sierra Madre, founded a human rights and environmental organization called CASMAC (Advisory Council of the Sierra Madre) in 1992. Two indigenous old growth forest reserves have been officially declared by surrounding communities. CASMAC is developing proposals from 10 other communities to integrate all or part of their forests into the Biosphere reserve. Bustillos paid a high price for his commitment to the Sierra. Since 1994, he survived three attempts on his life and suffered from severe back and head injuries incurred in the attacks. Despite the odds, Bustillos and CASMAC helped stop two illegal logging operations and were working to protect the land rights of over 300 Tarahumara families. Although a very small organization, CASMAC and Bustillos were also instrumental in developing a landmark constitutional proposal for indigenous rights in the state of Chihuahua, which nearly became law before being defeated by a newly elected congress in 1996. CASMAC proceeded to change strategies for defense of indigenous rights by embarking in ecologically friendly and culturally appropriate economic alternatives to drug production and logging. CASMAC, with its U.S. partner, the Sierra Madre Alliance, developed a permaculture training program and a native craft program. Organic paper production and a project to develop non-timber forest products such as medicinal plants were slated to begin in the fall of 1998. CASMAC further enabled native communities with a leadership training program, a radio communications network and a program for training and certifying indigenous forest inspectors. CASMAC continues to research community problems and take legal action on behalf of communal native forests and lands.

Once known as "the Pearl of Africa" because of its magnificent concentration and variety of wildlife, Uganda was plagued by acute political and civil instability during and well after Idi Amin's regime of the 1970s. Countless human atrocities occurred, wildlife was slaughtered and natural resources were pillaged. Since 1986, Uganda, unlike the majority of countries on the African continent, has enjoyed a free press. A journalist with The New Vision in Kampala, Ndyakira Amooti (d. 1999) was the sole reporter addressing environmental issues in his country. Amooti has used this respected paper as a platform to tackle public ignorance about the finite supply of the country's rich natural resources. Through a combination of feature stories and exposés, Amooti has worked tirelessly to raise the public's environmental consciousness. In the process Amooti has uncovered many cases of wrongdoing and his stories have spurred the government to take direct action. While reporting on the upland forests of Bwindi, home to a group of rare mountain gorillas, one of the world's most endangered species, Amooti discovered illegal mining, poaching and tree-cutting. Amooti's exposé led the Uganda Parliament to change Bwindi from a forest reserve to a national park. When Uganda suddenly became a major transshipment point for wildlife smugglers, Amooti alerted Ugandans to the problem. In September 1994, he helped two American undercover wildlife agents mount a sting operation at Entebbe airport. Putting himself at great personal risk, Amooti exposed the smuggling of endangered chimpanzees and African Great Grey parrots - both endangered species protected by the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) - by airport personnel, game officers and businessmen. Ugandans became very concerned about wildlife trafficking and as a result authorities have been catching a higher proportion of smugglers. Amooti continues to be a watchdog. In 1997 he fought off a plan to spray Lake Victoria without an environmental impact assessment. More recently he averted government action to degazette a unique forest for use by industry. He also has completed a series of environmental books for young people.