The Goldman Environmental Prize takes place annually to recognize individuals fighting on the frontlines of the greatest environmental issues of our time. The prize honours the achievements or significant sustained efforts of grassroots leaders who have protected the natural environment and created a positive change in their local communities, in order to inspire other people to do the same. Amongst this year’s prize winners were 2 UNESCO Green Citizens: Zafer Kizilkaya from Boosting Climate Change Resilience in Gokova Bay Marine Protected Area, and Tero Mustonen from the Snowchange Näätämö River Sámi Co-Management Project!
Zafer Kizilkaya’s mission? To save Turkey’s marine biodiversity
The coastline from Gökova Bay to Cape Gelidonya in southwest Turkey is a hub of biodiversity, home to large beds of endemic Neptune grass and 73% of all fish recorded in Turkish waters. This also makes it a fertile feeding and breeding ground for the endangered sand shark and Mediterranean monk seal. However, due to rising sea temperatures, illegal fishing and tourism, the area is under increasing pressure from invasive species. Taking action to protect this diverse and precious marine ecosystem, Zafer Kizilkaya and the Mediterranean Conservation Society decided to work with local fishermen and public authorities to develop a Marine Protection System in 2013.
Making fishermen key actors in conservation efforts, this system has established No-Take zones, promoted sustainable fishing activities, and conducted holistic marine protection and monitoring studies. In just 5 years, the project has seen tangible results, significantly reducing the abundance of invasive species, recovering habitat and fish stocks, and increasing fishing revenue by 400%. The system now acts as model for fishing areas across Turkey, having been replicated in several areas, Datca-Bozburun, Fethiye-Gocek and Kas-Kekova.
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Tero Mustonen is restoring natural habitats in Finland and beyond
As some of the most carbon-rich ecosystems on earth, healthy peatlands can be one of our best tools to fight climate change. This type of wetland arises when organic matter is unable to decompose, due to waterlogging, causing peat to build up. Nonetheless, overfishing and peat mining in Finland has caused the loss of precious biodiversity and severely polluted waterways, destroying the livelihoods of many local subsistence fishermen. Tero Mustonen and Snowchange, an independent cooperative of fishermen, breeders, entrepreneurs, researchers and environmentalists, decided to take a stand.
Based in the boreal village of Selkie, this network adopts innovative nature conservation practices that is guided by science and traditional knowledge, as well as reinforcing links between different indigenous communities. After successfully restoring Linnunsuo’s peatlands, Snowchange embarked on the biggest rewilding and restoration programme in Finland. They restored 70 peatlands and roughly 130,000 acres of land, transforming them into thriving and productive biodiversity hotspots. Through their network, they have also collaborated with other indigenous communities in the Northern Regions, such as Norway and Russia, to support their own ecological restoration efforts.
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