The winners are recognized for their outstanding leadership, bold action and sustainable solutions to combat land degradation, drought and desertification. The award, titled Champions of the Earth, is the United Nations’ highest environmental award for protecting people and the planet.
Recognizes those individuals from the private and public sector, civil society and academia who have been at the forefront of efforts to protect the Earth. Since 2005, the award has recognized 122 people for their outstanding and inspirational leadership in the field of environmental protection. This year, the award’s nominations focused on finding individuals who are making a difference in combating land degradation. , are working in the field of increasing resilience to drought and preventing desertification. Honoring ‘extraordinary individuals’ On this occasion, Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen said that about 40 of the world’s Percent of the land has already been degraded. At the same time, desertification is increasing and incidents of devastating drought are being seen continuously. “The good news is that there are solutions, and extraordinary individuals and organizations around the world are showing that protecting and restoring our planet is possible,” he said. The great efforts underway remind us that the fight to protect our lands, our rivers and our oceans is possible with the right policies, scientific breakthroughs, systemic reforms and activism. “By harnessing critical leadership and knowledge, we can restore our ecosystems.” Meet the Earth Heroes Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil, has been awarded the award in the category of policy leadership. Sonia Guajajara, more than two decades She has been fighting for the rights of tribal people and the first woman tribal minister in the country under her leadership. To stop human trafficking, 10 areas were recognized as tribal areas. Amy Bowers Cordalis, an advocate of tribal rights, was given the award in the category of Inspiration and Action. Amy Bowers Cordalis, leader of the Yurok Tribe and Klamath River in the United States We are striving towards ensuring a better future. Drawing on her legal expertise, she pursues her passion for restoration. According to UNEP, their work to restore river ecosystems and promote sustainable fishing practices demonstrates how bold environmental action can drive positive change while maintaining the rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples. Residents of Rome Gabriel Paun, an environmental activist, was honored in the Inspiration and Action category. Gabriel Paun is the founder of the non-governmental organization (NGO) ‘Agent Green’, which has been working since 2009 to protect Europe’s last pristine Vikas has helped preserve thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathians by exposing the truth about deforestation and illegal logging. He has received death threats and physical attacks while documenting deforestation. This area is not only important for the ecosystem, but is also home to unique biodiversity species at risk like wildcats and wolves. Chinese scientist Lu Qi has been honored in the Science and Innovation category. Lu Qi’s efforts, working in science and policy fields for three decades, have helped reverse land degradation and reduce the extent of deserts in China. As such, Lu Qi played a key role in starting the world’s largest reforestation project. He established a network of expert researchers and made important contributions in the field of establishing multilateral cooperation for the prevention of desertification, land degradation and drought. Madhav Gadgil, an ecologist from India, has been awarded a lifetime achievement award. He has been engaged for decades in action to protect people and the planet through research and community dialogue. “Historically, from assessing the environmental impact of country and national policies to grassroots environmental engagement, Gadgil has been involved in many of the world’s most important human resources,” UNEP said. His work has had a profoundly positive impact on public opinion and official policies regarding the protection of natural resources.” “He is particularly known for his ground-breaking work in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats region of India. Are. “At the global level, this area is considered a unique biodiversity center.” Egypt’s SECEM initiative received the award in the Entrepreneurial Approach category for its efforts to move farmers towards more sustainable agriculture. The initiative aims to transform a large desert area by promoting biodynamic agriculture and afforestation and reforestation activities. It has been made arable, not only turning the sector into a thriving agribusiness but also promoting sustainable development across the country. © World Bank/Andrea Borgarello Restoring ecosystems around the worldAccording to the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, 3.2 million people worldwide are currently at risk of desertification. Furthermore, it is feared that more than three-quarters of the global population will be affected by drought by 2050. In March 2019, the United Nations General Assembly, under a resolution, designated the decade from 2021 to 2030 as the United Nations Ecosystem Restoration Decade was declared. Led by UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Decade aims to halt ecosystem degradation around the world by restoring billions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The 2024 Earth Champions declare, Human Rights Day to be celebrated on 10 December and Resilience at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and COP16 in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia Has been done at the time of organizing the day.