Pisit Charnsnoh
Pisit Charnsnoh’s work has led to the restoration and protection of the mangroves and improved yields for local fishers. As a result, the Thai government has allowed local sustainable management of environmental resources.
Ramesh Agrawal
With a small internet café as his headquarters, Ramesh Agrawal organized villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh.
Yosepha Alomang
Mama Yosepha Alomang organized resistance to the world’s largest gold mining operation. Despite inhumane confinement and torture, she continued to promote traditional cultures, collective action and the well-being of indigenous peoples.
Edwin Bustillos
Undeterred by local drug lords, Edwin Bustillos blocked logging in the Sierra Madre despite violent attempts on his life and founded the Advisory Council of the Sierra Madre to preserve the ecosystems that are home to the Tarahumara and Tepehuan communities.
Bill Ballantine
Bill Ballantine established unprecedented “no-take” marine reserves in New Zealand and promoted the concept internationally to protect vital resources that are quietly but quickly being depleted around the world.
Giorgos Catsadorakis & Myrsini Malakou
Biologists by training, Giorgos Catsadorakis and Myrsini Malakou led the creation of the first trans-boundary protected area in the Balkans, an area better known for conflict than cooperation, at the borders of Greece, Albania and Macedonia.