Celebrating this year’s recipients of world-leading prizes for grassroots wildlife conservation
On Wednesday 29 April at the Royal Geographical Society in London, the 2026 Whitley Awards ceremony celebrated six conservationists leading local solutions to create a future where communities and wildlife thrive together on a healthy planet.
We also announced this year’s Whitley Gold Award winner, Farwiza Farhan and her team at HAkA, for their work to mobilise community protection for the irreplaceable Leuser Ecosystem.
The uplifting evening was hosted by WFN Ambassadors Tom Heap and Kate Humble. The Whitley Awards were presented by WFN Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, in front of over 450 guests and the event was live streamed to over 900 people around the world. Watch the livestream here.
Miranda Richardson narrated each of the winner films, produced by Silverback Films, that premiered during the ceremony. With the stage brought to life with illustrations by Emily Faccini, THE HERDS puppets surprised the audience as a lion stalked a kudu through the auditorium.
This year, we also celebrated WFN Ambassador Sir David Attenborough’s upcoming 100th birthday with a film featuring past Whitley Award winners, WFN Founder Edward Whitley and HRH The Princess Royal.
“Through his absolute sincerity and dedication to nature, Sir David Attenborough has inspired people around the world and reminded us of our shared responsibility to do all we can to protect our planet, for all life on Earth.” – Edward Whitley OBE, WFN Chair of Trustees
Congratulations to each of the 2026 Whitley Award winners: outstanding changemakers working with communities to protect nature and people.
The winners of the 2026 Whitley Awards are:
FARWIZA FARHAN and HAkA | WHITLEY GOLD AWARD
Indonesia | Mobilising community protection of the Leuser Ecosystem | Winner of the Whitley Gold Award donated by Anne Reece, and by the Friends of the Whitley Fund for Nature
Farwiza Farhan won a Whitley Award in 2016 for her work with NGO HAkA to conserve Sumatra’s iconic species in the Leuser Ecosystem by enabling local communities to challenge development plans that risked the future of the forest, wildlife and people.
Supported with 2019 Continuation Funding, they halted the construction of a mega-dam which would have drowned 4,000 hectares of pristine forest, and scored a major victory against palm oil company, PT Kallista Allam, for illegally burning 1,000 hectares of forest. Farwiza and HAkA’ s grassroots solutions, including training 200 women in environmental advocacy and supporting village-level forest governance and sustainable livelihoods, have achieved global recognition.
At the end of 2025, Cyclone Senyar brought intense floods and landslides to Aceh after vulnerable watersheds impacted by extensive deforestation failed to cope with the extreme rainfall. With a State of Emergency declared, HAkA pivoted to prioritise an urgent humanitarian response.
Looking ahead, Farwiza and team will integrate forest monitoring, community empowerment, and high-level policy advocacy to reduce flood risk, strengthen resilience, and safeguard the Leuser Ecosystem.
MOREANGELS MBIZAH
Zimbabwe | Lions and livelihoods: promoting human-wildlife coexistence in Zimbabwe | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by Inigo Insurance
Lions have lost 90% of their former range and today fewer than 19,000 individuals remain in the wild in Africa. Moreangels and her NGO Wildlife Conservation Action (WCA) are combining scientific research with community-led solutions to foster human-lion coexistence and protect both livelihoods and wildlife in Zimbabwe’s lower Zambezi Valley.
PARVEEN SHAIKH
India | Skimmer guardians: protecting riverine birds and their habitat | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by The Corcoran Foundation
The Indian Skimmer has disappeared from most of its historic range amid large-scale degradation of riverine habitats. India, which now holds more than 90% of the global breeding population, is the only hope to prevent the species from extinction. Parveen and her team at Bombay Natural History Society are working with community guardians to ensure the Indian Skimmer can thrive once again.
BARKHA SUBBA
India | Survivor of a lost world: saving the Himalayan salamander and its wetlands | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by The William Brake Foundation
In the misty Darjeeling Hills, wetland degradation is threatening the last stronghold of the elusive and rare Himalayan salamander. Through a community stewardship model, Barkha and NGO Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection will restore critical wetlands, monitor salamander breeding populations and engage stakeholders to better protect this unique landscape.
ISSAH SEIDU
Ghana | Fishers and guitarfish: preventing extinction along Ghana’s western coastline | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by The Frank Brake Charitable Trust
Through community action, Issah and his NGO AquaLife Conservancy are saving Critically Endangered guitarfish species from local extinction by mitigating the threats of overfishing and working towards the creation of Ghana’s first Locally Managed Marine Area.
MARINA KAMENI
Cameroon | Frogs and farmers in Mount Manengouba | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by Hempel Foundation
Marina and her NGO Herp-Cameroon are reviving endemic amphibian populations and boosting sustainable livelihoods in Southwest Cameroon’s Mount Manengouba, a global hotspot for threatened amphibians.
PAOLA SANGOLQUI
Ecuador | Rescuing the Galápagos Petrel from the brink of extinction | Winner of the Whitley Award donated by The Shears Foundation
The Critically Endangered Galápagos Petrel is under threat on the ‘Enchanted Isles’ where they breed. By empowering farm owners to champion their resident wildlife, Paola and NGO Fundación Jocotoco will conserve the significant breeding population of Petrels outside protected areas on Santa Cruz, Galápagos.
The charity’s flagship prizes, Whitley Awards are won following a global search and rigorous application process, assessed by an expert Judging Panel. Winners receive £50,000 in project funding over one year, in addition to elevated profile, new connections and training.
Winners also join our community of over 230 Whitley Award alumni – a network of peers working across 84 countries with whom they can share expertise, resources and support.
- Watch the Whitley Award winners in action through a collection of short films, narrated by WFN Ambassador Miranda Richardson
- Read our 2026 Annual Report for more detail on WFN’s impact and the award-winning projects
- Catch up on the evening via social media @WhitleyAwards or using the hashtag #WhitleyAwards
We are incredibly grateful to our Whitley Award donors, and to all of WFN’s supporters. This work would not be possible without you.
Congratulations once again to all of the 2026 Whitley Award winners!
