Almir surui biography of michael
FEATURE: Indigenous activist fights to save his tribe and the Amazon rainforest
Mr. Surui was one of five people honoured with the Forest Hero Award from the United Nations Forum on Forests, which is currently meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. The award recognizes “unsung heroes” from around the world who are working to sustain, protect and manage forests.
“He has brought his tribe back from the brink of extinction through ingenious and courageous environmental and political activism,” Daniel Shaw of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and a juror for the Forest Hero Awards, said of Mr. Surui.
By the time Mr. Surui was born in 1974 and his people had some “contact with white people,” his tribe already faced problems with economic exploitation and disease. “My people were reduced from 5,000 people to 295 persons,” he stated.
The impact of development on the Surui population is manifold and includes environmental, cultural and economic aspects, he noted. “E Chief Almir Narayamoga Surui -.