April 24: Prafulla Samantara, a leading campaigner against mining in Odisha's mineral-rich Niyamgiri Hills, was among the six winners of one of the world's most prestigious environmental prizes announced on Monday.
Announced in San Francisco, the 2017 Goldman Prize Environmental Prize worth $175,000 to each winner comes as violence against land rights campaigners continues to rise globally. "That environmentalists are under threat is a reflection of what's happening in the world right now," said Lorrae Rominger, acting director for the Goldman Prize Environmental Prize.
"Activists fighting very powerful interests are being targeted," Rominger told Reuters in an email.
The prize committee is looking at ways to improve safety for the winners so they can continue their campaigns, she said.
Samantara has won the prize along with Mark Lopez (US), Uroš Macerl (Slovenia), Wendy Bowman (Australia), Rodrigo Tot (Guatemala) and Rodrigue Katembo (Democratic Republic of Congo).
Samantara becomes the sixth Indian to win the award since its institution in 1990.
, becoming the first citizen to use the legal system in an attempt to halt the Vedanta mineIn 2013, the Supreme Court in a historic decision empowered local communities to have the final say in mining projects on their land, and gave village councils from the Niyamgiri Hills the right to vote on the Vedanta mine. By August 2013, all 12 tribal village councils had unanimously voted against the mine. In August 2015, Vedanta announced the closure of an aluminium refinery it had pre-emptively built.In an effort to revive the project, the Odisha State Mining Company sought to overturn the tribal council votes and petitioned to mine the bauxite as a sole venture. But following an appeal from Samantara, the apex court denied the petition in May 2016, leaving the Niyamgiri Hills' future safely in the hands of the Dongria Kondh.
The other five
Mark Lopez, US: The community activist persuaded the state of California to provide comprehensive lead testing and clean up of East Los Angeles homes contaminated by a battery smelter that had polluted the community for over three decades.
Uroš Macerl, Slovenia: An organic farmer from Slovenia, he successfully stopped a cement kiln from co-incinerating petcoke with hazardous industrial waste by rallying legal support and leveraging his status as the only citizen allowed to challenge the plant's permits.
Wendy Bowman, Australia: In the midst of an onslaught of coal development in Australia, octogenarian Wendy Bowman protected her farm and community from being taken over by a powerful multinational mining company. Her step saved her Hunter Valley from further pollution and environmental destruction.
Rodrigo Tot, Guatemala: The indigenous leader led his community to a major legal victory on issues of right to land titles and kept environmentally destructive nickel mining from expanding into his community.
Rodrigue Katembo, Democratic Republic of Congo: The Congo activist went undercover to document and release information about bribery and corruption in the quest to drill oil in Virunga National Park, resulting in public outrage that forced the company to withdraw from the project.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY REUTERS
