Today, we celebrate not only the 19th edition of the Future For Nature Awards, but also the 100th birthday of a true Hero for Nature: Sir David Attenborough 🌍
In 2009, we had the great honour of welcoming him as our Guest of Honour. On that day, he perfectly captured our mission: supporting “that one individual with fire in the belly. That one individual who is determined that something should be done.”
Our 2009 FFN Award winners; Inza Koné, Mohammad Farhadinia, and Maggie Muurmans, share their memories of this special day.
Happy 100th birthday, Sir David Attenborough!
What an unforgettable day we had yesterday at the 2026 Future For Nature Awards! 🌿
The ceremony was filled with inspiration and hope as we celebrated the incredible achievements of this year’s winners:
🏆 Dayana Blanco (Boliva)
🏆 Marina Kameni (Cameroon) (who joined us digitally)
🏆 Olabisi Atofarati (Nigeria)
If you missed it, don’t worry! You can still catch the event livestream on YouTube 👉 YouTube.com/futurefornature
📷 Photo’s by Robert Meerding
As we step into 2025, let’s renew our commitment to protecting the beautiful planet we call home 🌍. Together, we can conserve its incredible ecosystems, protect endangered species, and nurture a sustainable Future For Nature.
Are you with us? 😄
The countdown begins! ⏳�
This Firday (May 8th), the 2026 Future For Nature Awards will take place. Join us as we celebrate the outstanding conservation work of this year’s Award winners: Dayana Blanco, Marina Kameni and Olabisis Atofarati.
Our ever-gracious host, Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Chair of the International Selection Committee, will lead the celebration. Joined by our inspiring Guest of Honour, David Obura.
Watch Live this May 8th at 15:00 (CEST)🔗 YouTube.com/futurefornature
As we count down to the FFN Award Event next Friday, we’re proud to introduce our Guest of Honour: David Obura 🌍 (@david.obura )
Chair of Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES, 2023–2026), Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa and member of the Earth Commission, David is a global leader in biodiversity and sustainability science.
His work spans coral reef resilience, climate change, and nature–climate interactions, helping drive solutions for a more sustainable future. 🪸🌊
A recipient of Kenya’s national honour Moran of the Burning Spear and the International Coral Reef Society’s Coral Reef Conservation Award, his impact reaches across science, policy, and global action.
We’re honoured to welcome him to the FFN stage!
Olabisi Atofarati ni will be honored with the Future For Nature Award on May 8th, in recognition of outstanding contributions to nature conservation. Lets get to know her work a little bit better!
➡️ @olabisibello_a
Dayna Blanco will be honored with the Future For Nature Award on May 8th, in recognition of outstanding contributions to nature conservation. Lets get to know her work a little bit better!
🦩 ➡️ @blancoquirogadayana@uru_uru_team
Iroro Tanshi is one of the winners of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize (@goldmanprize ! 🏆
Iroro is a dedicated Nigerian bat specialist who has protected the country’s largest colony of straw-coloured fruit bats from proposed destruction of their roost trees. She developed a national database of Nigerian bat records, founded her NGO Small Mammal Conservation Organisation, and mentors students and peers in conservation.
She also discovered the first population of the Short-tailed Roundleaf bat in Nigeria, a species previously known only from Cameroon and Bioko Island, and not seen in the wild for 45 years.
In 2020, she received the Future For Nature Award. 🌍

Congratulations Iroro! 🎉 @irorotanshi
Michele Kameni will be honored with the Future For Nature Award on May 8th, in recognition of outstanding contributions to nature conservation. Lets get to know her work a little bit better!
🐸➡️ @marinakameni@herpcameroon
A hopeful step for frogs 🐸
At the beginning of this month, nearly 1,000 young Green and Golden Bell Frogs were released into Sydney Olympic Park.
The project is led by Anthony Waddle, Future For Nature Award winner 2025, together with researchers from Macquarie University.
They have developed a new way to protect frogs from chytrid fungus, a disease that has caused major declines in amphibians around the world.
Half of the frogs were given this protection, while the other half were not. By following both groups, the team can learn how well the method works.
This work brings new hope for frogs and shows how science can help protect wildlife!
🐸 👉 @waddlearoundearth
Where are our 2026 Future For Nature Award winners from? 🌍
🦩 Dayana Blanco Quiroga (Bolivia) – Working on restoration of Lake Uru Uru, a critical wetland in Bolivia and breeding ground for three unique flamingo species.
🐸 Michele Kameni Ngalieu (Cameroon) – saving amphibians and reptiles.
🐠 Olabisi Atofarati (Nigeria) - conserving endemic and threatened freshwater fish species in Nigeria’s Cross River region with a focus on Scheeli Killifish.
