Award for Young Wetland Champions

Ms Fernanda Samuel, National Coordinator of Mangrove Protection and Restoration, is recognized for her continued efforts to protect and restore mangrove wetlands off the coast of Angola. 

Ms Samuel’s mangrove restoration efforts have contributed to improving the livelihoods of the fishing communities and inspired many individuals including representatives from local government, entrepreneurs and people at the highest level of government to join her. 

In four years of work, Ms Samuel convinced several entrepreneurs to stop building over mangroves and inspired the local government to rethink the delivery of permits for the construction of infrastructure in the mangrove areas. She prevented more than 17,000 hectares of mangroves from being destroyed for the construction of ports and plants for the oil industry. With the help of more than 4,500 volunteers an estimated 3,000 hectares of mangroves have been restored through organized clean-up and reforestation campaigns. 

These restoration efforts have resulted in the return of migratory birds and fishing communities, who are benefitting from the return of fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Ms Samuel inspired the Vice President of the Republic of Angola to join the protection of the mangroves and together they have accepted a joint challenge to plant up to one million mangroves along the Angolan coast.