In this final of the three-part series, we look at Goldman Prize winners Theonila Roka Matbob and Iroro Tanshi.
Recognizing the fact that six women had won the award this year, Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said, “Throughout the history of the environmental movement, women have been at the forefront—innovating, shaping ideas, driving advocacy…but they often don’t receive the recognition they deserve”.
Theonila Roka Matbob
Bougainville, an island in Papua New Guinea, is rich in natural resources, including copper and gold. From 1972 to 1989, the Panguna Mine, operated by Rio Tinto, became one of the world's largest open-pit mines.
The mine dumped huge amounts of toxic waste into nearby rivers, contaminating water sources, destroying farmland, and causing long-term health problems for thousands of people. The mine's impacts led to growing tensions that sparked a decade-long civil war that killed nearly 20,000 people.
Theonila Roka Matbob had firsthand experience with the consequences of Rio Tinto’s mining operations and the civil war. Driven by those injustices, she gathered affected landowners to demand accountability from the company for the dangerous environmental and health effects.
Matbob’s activism successfully led to Rio Tinto’s acknowledgement in 2024. They agreed to address the devastation caused by the mine and take action by working with the local communities. Despite the social and political pressure she felt to back off, her influence led to real change and hope in those communities.
Iro Tanshi
The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in southeastern Nigeria protects some of the country's last remaining rainforests and many endangered species.
However, wildfires have become a growing threat to both wildlife and local communities. Many fires begin as controlled burns used by farmers to clear land, but hotter, drier conditions linked to climate change have made these fires more likely to spread out of control.
Nigerian conservationist scientist Iroro Tanshi has dedicated her career to protecting bats and their habitats. A milestone in her research was the rediscovery of the short-tailed roundleaf bat, a species previously thought to be extinct.
To protect biodiversity in Nigeria, Tanshi has gone to great lengths, working in the remote and hazardous environments, establishing “forest guardians” and pioneering initiatives to blend scientific research with local community action. She expands the world of wildlife monitoring and continues to help community conservation develop.
Source: Read full-length articles about Goldman Prize winners Matbob and Tanshi.