The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity
The Prize Winners

*Winner's profile when a prize was won.

The Prize Winners 2020

Paul Hebert (Canada)

Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph

Paul Hebert (Canada)

Dr. Paul Hebert holds a Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity at the University of Guelph where he is the Director of its Centre for Biodiversity Genomics. For the past 20 years, his research has focused on the development of an innovative technique termed DNA barcoding which can almost instantly assign any organism to its proper species. The resulting biodiversity data represent a “global public library” which now contains information on more than 10 million specimens. By establishing the International Barcode of Life Consortium, he created a research alliance which is revolutionizing our understanding of planetary biodiversity. Dr. Hebert’s work is reinforcing our appreciation for the value of nature, aiding its protection, facilitating biodiversity monitoring, and providing everyone with easy access to biodiversity knowledge.
Outline of the winner
Dr. Paul Hebert CV
Message from Dr. Paul Hebert

Melina Sakiyama(Brazil)

Co-founder, Global Youth Biodiversity Network

Melina Sakiyama(Brazil)

In the context of her participation in the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010, Ms. Melina Sakiyama met other young people who shared her vision. Together with Mr. Christian Schwarzer, she co-founded the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN), with the aim to create a global coalition of empowered youth and youth organizations to build a shared future in harmony with nature. As part of the team, Ms. Sakiyama led efforts to design capacity-building and youth empowerment programmes that supported hundreds of young leaders and youth-led biodiversity conservation initiatives, thus contributing to the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the objectives of the Convention. The Network comprises 551 youth groups, organizations and movements from 145 countries who participate and collaborate with each other on project implementation, policy-making and awareness-raising on biodiversity, and continues to expand across borders and issue areas.
Outline of the winner
Ms. Melina Sakiyama CV
Message from Ms. Melina Sakiyama

Wirsiy Emmanuel Binyuy (Cameroon)

Founder, Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW)

Wirsiy Emmanuel Binyuy (Cameroon)

In 2007, Mr. Wirsiy founded the Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch, which focus on solutions to environmental and gender issues. The initiative works with the slogan "think globally, act locally”; it involves local communities in forest conservation and regeneration efforts to collect forest seeds and seedlings, develop tree nurseries, plant forest trees and do forest patrols. Mr. Wirsiy’s apiculture initiatives provided micro-financing opportunities for women, brought sustainable sources of income to communities and reduced bushfires drastically in the regions. He has been leading environmental educational campaign to raise the awareness of hundreds of thousands of forest people and has contributed largely in the regeneration of biodiversity hotspots. Mr. Wirsiy has empowered bee farmers and organized them to honey cooperatives to increase honey quality and quantity for a better market.
Outline of the winner
Mr. Wirsiy Emmanuel Binyuy CV
Message from Mr. Wirsiy Emmanuel Binyuy

The Prize Winners 2018

Kathy MacKinnon

Kathy MacKinnon

U.K.
Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)

Abdul Hamid Zakri

Assad Serhal

Lebanon
Director General, Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL)

Abdul Hamid Zakri

Abdul Hamid Zakri

Malaysia
Former Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Prize Winners 2016

Alfonso Aguirre-Muñoz

Alfonso Aguirre-Muñoz

Mexico
Executive Director, Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas, A.C.

Yury Darman

Yury Darman

Russia
Director, Amur Branch, WWF Russia

Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva

India
Founder and Director, Navdanya

The Prize Winners 2014

Kamal Bawa

Kamal Bawa

India
President, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India
Distinguished Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Alfred Oteng-Yeboah

Alfred Oteng-Yeboah

Ghana
Chair, Ghana National Biodiversity Committee

Bibiana Vilá

Bibiana Vilá

Argentina
Director, Vicuñas, Camelids and Environment (VICAM)
Principal Researcher, National Research Council (CONICET) Argentina

The Prize Winners 2012

Juan Carlos Castilla

Juan Carlos Castilla

Chile
Professor, Marine Ecology, Department of Ecology, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Rodrigo Gámez-Lobo

Rodrigo Gámez-Lobo

Costa Rica
President, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio)

Vo Quy

Vo Quy

Viet Nam
Honorary President, Center for Natural Resources Management and Environmental Studies (CRES),
Vietnam National University, Hanoi


The Prize Winners 2010

Jean Lemire

Jean Lemire

Canada
Biologist, Explorer, Filmmaker

Gretchen C. Daily

Gretchen C. Daily

United States of America
Professor, Stanford University

Emil Salim

Emil Salim

Indonesia
Chairman of the Advisory Council to the President of Indonesia
Former Minister of State for Population and the Environment



Special Prize for the International Year of Biodiversity 2010

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel

Germany
Chancellor of Germany