Award for Young Wetland Champions 2015
Fundación Humedales Bogotá - Director, Jorge Emmanuel Escobar Moreno / Colombia
This wonderful group of dynamic, hard-working and inspiring young people have set a precedent for people of all ages around the world on how they can get directly involved in environmental campaigning at a local level, and also have an impact at a regional level.
The Foundation started in 2011 and is dedicated to rescuing Bogotá’s wetlands from industrialization and development, and to highlight the constant threats that they are under. The group have greatly increased the awareness of the local population, who now acknowledge the significance of the wetlands in their region.
The Foundation’s website has become the main medium of information on wetlands in Bogotá. The Foundation has a network of volunteers who write and film and publish wetland news to promote wetland conservation through active citizenship.
Other activities include a World Wetland’s Day cycling event, an environmental fair in 2013 (with over 15,000 visitors), documents providing information on the wetlands of the Bogotá river catchment, a "green social media" event, demonstrations and events in defence of particular wetland sites, environmental education, free courses on wetlands featuring the Convention and its implementation and organization of community-building events such as cleaning- up and restoring wetland areas, eco-tourism and observation of migratory birds.
We are delighted to reward the Fundación Humedales Bogotá for their groundroots leadership and success with the Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for Young Wetland Champions.