April 22, 2025 River defenders from Albania and Peru honored with environmental prize

The Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards for grassroots environmental activism, honors defenders of free-flowing rivers in Albania and Peru. These efforts represent significant legal and conservation victories amid growing global pressure on freshwater systems.

The Goldman Environmental Foundation announced the seven recipients of the 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize. Recognized as one of the most prestigious international awards for grassroots environmental activism, the Prize spotlights individuals who have made substantial local impact in defense of the environment.

Among this year’s honorees are Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika of Albania, who led efforts to protect the Vjosa River, and Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari of Peru, who secured legal rights for the Marañón River. Both achievements represent milestone victories for freshwater ecosystems and community-led conservation.

The Vjosa River (Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize)

Vjosa River becomes Europe’s first wild river national park

Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika’s decade-long campaign culminated in the Albanian government’s March 2023 decision to designate the Vjosa Wild River National Park. This move safeguarded over 31,000 acres of the river’s course and tributaries – marking Europe’s first national park to protect a wild, free-flowing river system.

Albania’s rivers, part of the Balkans’ “Blue Heart of Europe,” are biodiversity hotspots that remain largely unspoiled compared to the heavily dammed rivers of Western Europe. The Vjosa River, flowing 167 miles from Greece to the Adriatic Sea, is home to more than 1,100 species, including critically endangered eels and Egyptian vultures.

Facing intense pressure from hydropower development – Albania generates 99 percent of its electricity from hydropower – Guri and Nika launched the “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” campaign in 2014. Their advocacy included legal challenges, community outreach, and international coalition-building.

In 2021, outdoor apparel company Patagonia was invited to serve as a neutral intermediary in negotiations between the Albanian government and civil society organizations. Patagonia had supported the Vjosa campaign since 2016 and played a key role in bridging the gap between stakeholders, ensuring the national park status became a legally binding reality.

The new designation prohibits dam construction within the park and restricts commercial activities in 75 percent of its territory. However, the river’s future remains under threat from proposed water diversion projects and extractive industries – challenges that Guri and Nika continue to contest in court.

Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari on the Marañón River (Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize)

Legal personhood granted to the Marañón River in Peru

In Peru, Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, president of the Kukama women’s association Asociación de Mujeres Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, led the legal fight to grant Rights of Nature to the Marañón River. In March 2024, the Peruvian judiciary recognized the river as a legal entity with the right to remain free-flowing and uncontaminated.

This unprecedented ruling followed decades of oil spills and industrial contamination in Kukama territory. It obliges the Peruvian government to prevent future environmental damage and to develop a comprehensive protection plan. The decision also formally acknowledges the Kukama people as the river’s stewards – an important recognition of Indigenous leadership in environmental governance.

The Marañón, a major Amazon tributary, is vital for the cultural and ecological health of the region. By securing this landmark legal status, Canaquiri Murayari has not only protected the river but also set a powerful precedent for river conservation across Latin America.

Lead Photo: Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika in front of the Vjosa River (Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize)