Who We Are

Dmitry Lisitsyn and the Sakhalin Environmental Watch, Russia, for their efforts to hold Russian and multinational oil corporations accountable for the environment of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East.

Haji Masdjuni, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, for his achievements in sea turtle protection.

Francisco Solis Germani and the Coastal Range Coalition, Chile, for their work in persuading the Chilean government to reroute the Southern Coastal highway.

Lester Seri and Conservation Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, for their assistance to the rural Maisin community in protecting its ancestral lands.

Yang Xin and the Greenriver Environmental Protection Association, Tibet, China, for their work with the Chinese government to protect the Tibetan antelope and the Yangtze River at its source.

Antonio Reina, Mozambique, for outstanding contributions to the conservation of the coast of Mozambique, including the expansion of the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park.

Charles Darwin Foundation, Ecuador, for more than 40 years of conservation work in the Galapagos Islands and restoration efforts after the Jessica oil spill.

Julia Carabias Lillo, Mexico
In recognition of the outstanding contributions made by Ms. Carabias' tireless work on behalf of Mexico's world-class biodiversity. Her strategic vision and nonpartisan advocacy for both wildlife and people have transformed Mexico's present and future and created an international model of enlightened natural resource management.

Trinational NGO Alliance For The Gulf of Honduras in recognition of the outstanding contributions made by the Trinational NGO Alliance to protect and conserve the coastal and marine resources of the Gulf of Honduras.

Pan Wenshi, China for his ground-breaking career in panda conservation in China, where his research, field work and educational efforts have advanced understanding of the giant panda and provided a springboard for major new conservation programs.

M. Jean-Bosco Kpanou, Central Republic of Africa for his work to habituate lowland gorillas, monitoring the movements, and gaining the confidence of several groups of gorillas in the Dzanga-Ndoki.

Forest Stewardship Council, Oaxaca, Mexico for their work in promoting participatory, consensus-based approaches that use the power of the marketplace to encourage sound forest management.

Fundacao Pro-TAMAR, Salvador, Brazil, for their work in turtle conservation.

Pawikan Conservation Project, Quezon City, Philippines and Taman-Taman Sabah (Sabah Parks), Sabah, Malaysia, for their work in safeguarding a vital nesting area for sea turtles.

The Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda, for park staffs' dedication and heroism in protecting the mountain gorillas during the Rwandan civil war.

Sherubtse College, Bhutan, for developing an innovative environmental studies program.

COMUNIDEC, Ecuador, for fostering a grass roots conservation movement in Ecuador.

West Bengal Forest Protection Committees, India, for their innovative community-based approach to sustainable management of the region's forested lands;

CODDEFFAGOLF, Honduras, for raising awareness of the importance of threats to marine and coastal resources and promoting stricter enforcement of environmental laws.

Fundacion Peruana para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza, Peru, for conservation achievements in the spectacular Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve.

Ghandruk Forest Management Committee, Annapurna Conservation Area Project in Nepal, a grass roots organization, for its involvement of local residents in protection of their rich natural resources.

Dr. Emil Salim, Indonesia's Minister of State for Population and the Environment, for his leadership in incorporating environmental assessments into Indonesian law.

Professor Miguel Alvarez del Toro, Chiapas, Mexico, for his long fight to save Mexico's wildlife, his help in the establishment of 11 reserves, and his books and technical publications on Chiapas.

Dr. Perez Olindo, Kenya, in recognition of his significant accomplishments in preserving Kenya's natural resources and his leading role in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) African Elephant Working Group.

Dr. Hemanta Mishra, Nepal, for his ground breaking biotic studies on Mt. Everest, his development of Nepal's park systems, and his work on implementation of "Operation Tiger," the largest conservation project in Asia.

Sir Peter Scott, Great Britain, for his role as cofounder of WWF in 1961 and his life-long contributions to saving endangered wildlife.

Henri and Jean de Heaulme, Madagascar, for their work to preserve that country's unique and endangered wildlife.

Dr. Jane Goodall, Tanzania, for her pioneering research on chimpanzees in the wild and her efforts to focus public attention on conservation.

Alvaro Ugalde and Mario Andres Boza, Costa Rica, for their roles in building Costa Rica's magnificent national park system.

Dr. Maria Tereza Jorge Padua and Dr. Paulo Nogueira-Neto, Brazil, for their roles in advancing Brazilia environmental legislation, establishing national parks, and supporting a network of ecological research stations.

Dr. Harold J. Coolidge, United States, for his career at the National Research Council and his founding of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Dr. Boonsong Lekagul, Thailand, for his 30-year commitment to nature education and national parks and his rediscovery of the kouprey.

Major Ian Grimwood, United Kingdom, for his contributions to the protection of wildlife and natural areas in Africa, Asia, and South America and his rescue of the last three Arabian oryx.

Dr. Salim Ali, India, for his study of Asian birds and efforts to conserve them.

Dr. Felipe Benavides, Peru, for his work to save the vicuna and other endangered Latin American wildlife.