Noted ecologist, academic and writer Madhav Gadgil is among the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s six ‘Champions of the Earth’ for the year 2024, a statement by the UN body declared on December 10, 2024.
Gadgil has spent decades protecting people and the planet through research and community engagement, the statement noted.
His work has greatly influenced public opinion and official policies on the protection of natural resources. This includes landmark environmental impact assessments of state and national policies to grassroots environmental engagement.
“He is renowned for his seminal work in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats region of India, which is a unique global biodiversity hotspot,” it added.
Gadgil was honoured in the Lifetime Achievement category.
Other awardees include Brazil’s Sonia Guajajara, Amy Bowers Cordalis from the United States, Gabriel Paun from Romania, Lu Qi from China and SEKEM, a sustainable agriculture initiative.
Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, has been honoured in the Policy Leadership category.
An advocate for Indigenous rights for more than two decades, Guajajara is Brazil’s first Minister of Indigenous Peoples and the first female Indigenous minister.
“Under her leadership, 10 territories have been recognized as Indigenous land to ward off deforestation, illegal logging, and drug traffickers,” the statement noted.
Cordalis, an Indigenous rights advocate, was honoured in the Inspiration and Action category. She is using her legal expertise and passion for restoration to secure a better future for the Yurok tribe and the Klamath River in the United States.
“Cordalis’ work to restore the river ecosystem and encourage the adoption of sustainable fishing practices demonstrate how bold environmental action can bring significant positive change, while upholding Indigenous Peoples’ rights and livelihoods,” as per the statement.
The removal of dams from the Klamath river in northern California earlier this year was the largest such exercise in the world. A long-standing demand of Native American tribal nations, it has facilitated the return of Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and steelhead back to the river system.
Paun, a Romanian environmental defender, was honoured in the Inspiration and Action category. He is the founder of non-profit Agent Green, which has been helping save thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathian Mountains since 2009 by exposing the destruction and illegal logging of Europe’s last old growth forest.
“Paun has received death threats and been physically attacked for his work in documenting deforestation in an area that is vital for the ecosystem and supports unique biodiversity such as lynx and wolves,” the statement observed.
Lu Qi, a Chinese scientist, was honoured in the Science and Innovation category. Lu has worked in science and policy sectors for three decades, helping China reverse degradation and shrink its deserts.
“As Chief Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and founding President of the Institute of Great Green Wall, Lu has played a key role in implementing the world’s largest afforestation project, establishing expert research networks and partnerships, and boosting multilateral cooperation to stem desertification, land degradation and drought,” the UNEP said.
SEKEM, honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, is helping farmers in Egypt transition to more sustainable agriculture. The initiative’s promotion of biodynamic agriculture plus afforestation and reforestation work has been transforming large swathes of desert into thriving agricultural business, advancing sustainable development across the country.
The annual Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour, recognises trailblazers at the forefront of efforts to protect people and planet. Since 2005, the award has recognised 122 laureates for outstanding and inspirational environmental leadership.