Indigenous communities protect forests, rivers and grasslands in many parts of the world. Some leaders face threats, yet they keep working. The United Nations honours a few of them with an award called Champions of the Earth. The prize shows how traditional knowledge helps modern conservation. Each winner works close to the land they defend. Their stories reach schools and city halls far from home.
Nemonte Nenquimo from Ecuador helped save 500,000 hectares of rainforest in 2020. Joan Carling from the Philippines campaigns for Indigenous land rights. Yacouba Sawadogo taught farmers how to grow food in dry soil. In California, Amy Bowers Cordalis pushed for the removal of dams in 2024. Brazil appointed Sonia Guajajara as its first Minister of Indigenous Peoples a year earlier. Together they show that local action can change national policy.