Forest Hero Award facts for kids
The Forest Hero Award is a special prize given by the United Nations. It was started in 2011, which was called the International Year of Forests. This award celebrates people who have spent their lives working hard to protect forests around the world.
Each year, one person from five different regions gets the award. These regions are Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. It's a way to say thank you to these amazing people for their efforts to keep our planet's forests healthy.
Winners in 2011
The first winners of the Forest Hero Award were announced in 2012. This happened at a big meeting called the United Nations Forum on Forests in New York. People from 41 countries nominated 90 heroes!
Here are the winners from 2011:
- Africa: Paul Nzegha Mzeka from Cameroon.
- Asia and the Pacific: Shigeatsu Hatakeyama from Japan.
- Europe: Anatoly Lebedev from Russia.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Paulo Adario from Brazil.
- North America: Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva from the USA. They won for their successful campaign to remove palm oil from Girl Scout Cookies. This showed how young people can make a big difference!
A special award was also given to a couple from Brazil, José Claudio Ribeiro and Maria do Espírito Santo. They were recognized for their important work, even though they had passed away.
Winners in 2012
The winners for the 2012 Forest Hero Award were:
- Africa: Rose Mukankomeje from Rwanda.
- Asia and the Pacific: Preecha Siri from Thailand.
- Europe: Hayrettin Karaca from Turkey.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Almir Narayamoga Surui from Brazil.
- North America: Ariel Lugo from Puerto Rico.
See also
In Spanish: Premio Héroe del Bosque para niños
- Champions of the Earth
- Heroes of the Environment
- List of environmental awards
