BONN, Germany (21 September 2020) – The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is calling for nominations for its annual Landscape Heroes competition, which highlights and honors valuable local efforts to protect landscapes and biodiversity.
The 2020 competition emphasizes the critical importance of our planet’s biodiversity and how local heroes are working to restore and maintain the health of their landscapes, from mountains to oceans, forests, peatlands, cities, drylands, and agricultural lands.
Nominations for the 2020 competition close 30 September and voting will be held from 1-15 October. Two winners – one chosen by an online public vote; and the other, by an expert jury – will be announced 19 October 2020, just ahead of the GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference “One World-One Health” 28-29 October 2020. The conference will focus on the UN CBD post-2020 Biodiversity Framework and the upcoming UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. Speakers so far include titans of biodiversity research and policy, including “bat man” Rodrigo Medellín of Mexico, one of the foremost experts of the ecological and environmental consequences of biodiversity loss, Shahid Naeem of Colombia University, and the head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity which just released a staggering report on the state of the world’s biodiversity, Elizabeth Mrema.
The top Landscape Hero will be invited to present their initiative at the GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference and will receive 500 Euros in prize money to support the winner’s local initiative. Prizes also include free tickets to the event.
The 2019 Landscape Hero, Peru’s Javier Ruiz Gutiérrez, risked his life and was imprisoned for organizing to protect the Chaparrí ecological reserve. Previous winners, drawn from Guatemala, Brazil, Tanzania, Peru and India, have been honored for their actions on the ground. These have ranged from eco-tourism initiatives and conservation to sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Find here the shared Trello board with photos and suggested messaging for Landscape Heroes and GLF Biodiversity
For more information:
Melissa Angel, Communications Coordinator
Global Landscapes Forum
M.KayeAngel@cgiar.org
