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Local Heroes
The Goldman Environmental Prize Winners for 2025 were announced in a ceremony on Monday April 21, 2025.
The winners each have been playing an extraordinary role in addressing environmental problems or conserving the Natural world in their corner of the planet. The 2025 winners were:
Semia Gharbi - Tunisia / Africa
Semia led the efforts to challenge corrupt waste trafficking between Tunisia and Italy. Her efforts led to the return of illegally exported waste, and the arrest of more than 40 corrupt government officials involved in the waste trafficking scandal, along with policy changes in the EU, which has improved regulations for waste.
Batmunkh Luvsandash - Mongolia / Asia
Batmunkh was committed to protect his home from mining. His efforts led to the establishment of a 26,700 hectare protected area in Domogovi province, home to 75% of the global population of endangered Asiatic wild ass, and many endemic plants.
Olsi Nika and Besjana Guri - Albania / Europe
Besjana and Olsi's campaign to save the wild Vjosa River in Albania from a hydropower dam development led to the ground-breaking creation of the Vjosa Wild River National Park by the Albanian government in 2023. This ground-breaking achievement protected the 268 km long Vjosa river along with 400 km of undisturbed tributaries of the Vjosa ecosystem. This has achieved protection of critical habitat for endangered species, important freshwater biodiversity, and is the first national park in Albania and Europe to protect a wild river.
Carlos Mallo Molina - Canary Island / Islands & Island Nations
Carlos lead a global campaign to prevent the construction of a massive boat and ferry terminal that threatened a huge biodiverse marine protected area in the Canary Islands. Proposed to built on the island of Tenerife, the port would have destroyed habitat critical for whales, sharkes and endangered sea turtles. The Canary Islands government cancelled the port, and a world-leading marine conservation and education centre is being established.
Laurene Allen - United States / North America
Thousands of families in New England were impacted by contaminated drinking water, one of the biggest environmental scandals in the State's history. Laurene campaigned to pressure the huge industrial company responsible for leaking toxic chemicals into drinking water. Her efforts lead to the eventual closure of the industrial plant in 2024 after 20 years of rampant pollution.
Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari - Peru / South & Central America
Mari and the women's association she serves as president in 2024 won a breakthrough rights of nature court case to protect the Marañón River in Peru. The river, for the first time in the country's history, was granted legal personhood - with the legal right to flow freely and free of contamination. The court found that hte Peruvian government was in violation of the river's rights and ordered the government to act to prevent oil spills into the river, whilst recognising the Kukama women's association as stewards of the river.
Kuno
The Goldman Environmental Prize Winners for 2025 were announced in a ceremony on Monday April 21, 2025.
The winners each have been playing an extraordinary role in addressing environmental problems or conserving the Natural world in their corner of the planet. The 2025 winners were:
Semia Gharbi - Tunisia / Africa
Semia led the efforts to challenge corrupt waste trafficking between Tunisia and Italy. Her efforts led to the return of illegally exported waste, and the arrest of more than 40 corrupt government officials involved in the waste trafficking scandal, along with policy changes in the EU, which has improved regulations for waste.
Batmunkh Luvsandash - Mongolia / Asia
Batmunkh was committed to protect his home from mining. His efforts led to the establishment of a 26,700 hectare protected area in Domogovi province, home to 75% of the global population of endangered Asiatic wild ass, and many endemic plants.
Olsi Nika and Besjana Guri - Albania / Europe
Besjana and Olsi's campaign to save the wild Vjosa River in Albania from a hydropower dam development led to the ground-breaking creation of the Vjosa Wild River National Park by the Albanian government in 2023. This ground-breaking achievement protected the 268 km long Vjosa river along with 400 km of undisturbed tributaries of the Vjosa ecosystem. This has achieved protection of critical habitat for endangered species, important freshwater biodiversity, and is the first national park in Albania and Europe to protect a wild river.
Carlos Mallo Molina - Canary Island / Islands & Island Nations
Carlos lead a global campaign to prevent the construction of a massive boat and ferry terminal that threatened a huge biodiverse marine protected area in the Canary Islands. Proposed to built on the island of Tenerife, the port would have destroyed habitat critical for whales, sharkes and endangered sea turtles. The Canary Islands government cancelled the port, and a world-leading marine conservation and education centre is being established.
Laurene Allen - United States / North America
Thousands of families in New England were impacted by contaminated drinking water, one of the biggest environmental scandals in the State's history. Laurene campaigned to pressure the huge industrial company responsible for leaking toxic chemicals into drinking water. Her efforts lead to the eventual closure of the industrial plant in 2024 after 20 years of rampant pollution.
Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari - Peru / South & Central America
Mari and the women's association she serves as president in 2024 won a breakthrough rights of nature court case to protect the Marañón River in Peru. The river, for the first time in the country's history, was granted legal personhood - with the legal right to flow freely and free of contamination. The court found that hte Peruvian government was in violation of the river's rights and ordered the government to act to prevent oil spills into the river, whilst recognising the Kukama women's association as stewards of the river.
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