First Vietnamese conservationist receives Goldman Environmental Prize
(VOVWORLD) - Nguyen Van Thai, Director of the Center for Wildlife Conservation in Vietnam (Save Vietnam's Wildlife), on Tuesday was announced as one of six people in the world to receive the Goldman Environmental Prize 2021, the world’s most prestigious award for grassroots environmental activists.
 Director of the Center for Wildlife Conservation in Vietnam (Save Vietnam's Wildlife) Nguyen Van Thai (Photo: Save Vietnam’s Wildlife) |
Thai is the first Vietnamese conservationist and the second Vietnamese citizen to receive the award in the more than 30-year history of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which is dubbed as the Green Nobel.
The prize worth 200,000 USD is a recognition of the non-stop contributions and efforts of Nguyen Van Thai and SVW over the past 7 years in wildlife conservation.
He is the founder of the non-profit Save Vietnam's Wildlife organization and together with his team have rescued more than 1,500 pangolins and coordinated with rangers to confiscate and remove more than 9,700 animal traps, arresting many poachers.
Thai has organized educational programs to raise awareness for Vietnamese people about the importance of wildlife conservation. He authored numerous research papers, attended international conferences and developed the first protocols for pangolin monitoring and rehabilitation in Vietnam.