• The Heinz Prizes are awarded annually for achievement in the arts, environment and economy. Previous winners in the environmental category were Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Amory Lovins, Jane Lubchenco and James Hansen.
• The winner of this year’s prestigious environmental award is Mongabay Founder and CEO Rhett A. Butler for his work in creating a popular and influential medium, publishing frontline environmental information in multiple languages ​​for a global audience. .
• “The rate of environmental degradation, deforestation and habitat loss due to human activities is devastating, but Rhett has responded with courage and dedication, creating a platform that provides the world with important information collected with the highest journalistic and scientific integrity,” said Teresa Heinz. , Chairman of the Heinz Family Foundation and Founders of the Heinz Awards.
• “Mongabay’s emergence as one of the most widely read sources of environmental information is solid proof of what is possible when one person has the same interest and passion for nature as Butler,” said Jeannie Sedgwick, Mongabay Board Member.

Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler has won the 2022 Heinz Awards for the Environment for his efforts to advance environmental journalism around the world.

Butler founded Mongabay in 1999 and has since expanded its reach and impact by building a global team with staff and contributors in over 80 countries.

In 2012, he steered the organization towards non-profit status to increase its reach, delivering news and inspiration from the frontiers of the world in multiple languages.

“The Heinz Award is an unexpected and surprising honor,” Butler said.

The recognition from Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation is a testament to the incredible work done every day by the Mongabay team and dedicated journalists.

“This is a very critical time for environmental journalism, given the planetary challenges we face and the diminishing press freedom around the world,” he continued.

“Journalism can generate real-world impact by raising awareness, identifying problems and solutions, and holding those in power accountable.”

The Heinz Awards, in honor of the late U.S. Senator H. John Heinz III, have been awarded annually since 1993 to honor excellence and achievement in areas of great importance to Senators.

It is one of the top awards for science, scholarship, and advocacy in the United States, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated “a passion for excellence that transcends intellectual curiosity; concern for humanity rooted in a deep sensitivity to the welfare of others; and a far-reaching vision that embraces the universal.

Previous winners in the environmental category were Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Amory Lovins, Jane Lubchenco and James Hansen, among many others. Teresa Heinz, president of the Heinz Family Foundation and founder of the Heinz Awards, said Butler’s efforts have demonstrated the kind of extraordinary and impactful results deserving of the award.

“The rate of environmental degradation, deforestation and habitat loss due to human activities is devastating, but Rhett has responded with courage and dedication, creating a platform that provides the world with important information collected with the highest journalistic and scientific integrity,” Heinz said. .

“Working at the intersection of human rights and the environment, Mongabay journalists hold those responsible for managing natural resources accountable, encourage investors to take a closer look at financial investments, and help prevent deforestation.

“Now more than ever, the world needs individuals who are willing to overcome seemingly formidable challenges in order to protect our precious natural resources,” Heinz continued.

“We appreciate Rhett for his courage and his inspiration to others. A good appreciation of our nature and a commitment to protecting our shared planet.”

Representing the global Mongabay community, the organization’s Board of Directors salutes Butler’s accomplishments.

“On behalf of Mongabay’s Board of Directors, employees, correspondents, supporters and readers around the world, we are delighted to see Rhett receive this recognition for his outstanding leadership and vision,” said the Chairman of the Board. Holt Thrasher.

“Achieving the success and quality of Mongabay’s investigative reporting in the face of growing challenges for journalists around the world is a triumph of Rhett’s perseverance and dedication to this work.”

The beginning of interest in the rainforest

Mongabay was born out of Butler’s interest in the environment, nurtured from an early age, with a lot of time spent in nature. The event that catalyzed his decision to get involved in environmental issues was the destruction of Kalimantan’s rainforests shortly after his visit to the region.

“The destruction of the forest inspired me to write a book about rainforests to raise awareness of what is happening to these incredible places,” Butler says. “I write books to have an impact, not for the money, so instead of publishing books, I write them on line so people can read it for free. This was the beginning of the birth of Mongabay.”

From these humble beginnings, Mongabay has grown into a respected news service, whose news reaches more than a billion people and provides journalists with ongoing opportunities to report on environmental issues around the world. Mongabay also has educational initiatives for children, publishes video content and podcasts in several languages, and offers scholarships to young aspiring journalists.

“Mongabay’s emergence as one of the most widely read sources of environmental information is solid proof of what is possible when one person has the interest and passion for the natural world that Butler has” said Jeannie Sedgwick, Mongabay board member and former director of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation’s conservation program.

“Butler has created an extensive network of top journalists who cover critical issues in a number of countries and reach millions of people every month. And it does so while creating a strong organizational culture of diversity and equality. This recognition is well deserved and greatly appreciated.

Butler said he wanted to stay focused on the achievements of the Mongabay community rather than himself.

“All of this would not have been possible without the support of our donors, the interest of our readers and the hard work of our team,” Butler said. “Mongabay’s impact has gone far beyond what I could have imagined when I started this site, due to my love and appreciation for nature.”

The Mongabay report is produced by five international offices in 10 languages, namely Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian and Hindi. There are also major offices in India and fast-growing programs in Africa, all translated by a dedicated team in simplified French, Italian, German, Japanese and Chinese.

This method aligns with Butler’s philosophy of making reliable, objective environmental information as widely available as possible – so that a wide range of readers, from government officials to business leaders, scientists, citizens, educators and policymakers, can make informed choices and educate about their environment — content on the site is published on a Creative Commons basis, so other media can use the Mongabay team’s report to improve knowledge when it comes to retaining their own readers, regardless of the language they speak.

The amount of information shared and the ease of access (the simple site design and use of thumbnails also makes it easy for everyone to load, regardless of internet connection speed) has had a real impact over the years .

From changes in the management of national parks in Chile to halting uranium mining projects in tiger protected areas in India, to delisting companies from the London Stock Exchange – highlight Butler’s statement on the importance of journalism in creating real impact by raising awareness, identifying problems and solutions, and holding people and corporations in power accountable.

Named after an island off Madagascar that Butler visited as a volunteer while in college, Mongabay has many new initiatives underway, including a data platform that will make environmental data more widely available. Also, tools on line free tools that help people identify quality reforestation projects, to support aligned interests and motivations, Reforestation.app.

In addition to working for Mongabay and leading the organization, Butler has written in a number of publications in scientific journals and speaks regularly at universities on conservation trends, forests, conservation technologies and journalism.

He was also on the teaching staff of Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science at Arizona State University and a member of the advisory board of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Butler is a highly anticipated expert on tropical forestry issues. His thoughts are frequently quoted in publications ranging from The New York Times until Bloomberg.

The original article can be read at this link: Mongabay Founder Wins Prestigious 2022 Heinz Environmental Prize. Article translated by Akita Verselita.