Radolfzell (dpa/lsw) – The German activist Antje Grothus and the Ukrainian forest scientist Fedir Hamor received this year’s EuroNatur prize for their commitment to protecting forests. The foundation, which is based in Radolfzell on Lake Constance, honors outstanding achievements in nature conservation with this award. The president of the foundation, Thomas Potthast, praised the “courage and perseverance” of the award winners as “role models”.
Grothus, who has been a member of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament for the Greens since June, has “dedicated in a special way to preserving the forest of the same name at the Hambach opencast mine, despite threats to her person”. Forest scientist Hamor and the Ukrainian organization Free Svydovets have been working for years to protect the country’s primeval Carpathian forests – although this work has become even more difficult because of the war.
The award is to be presented on October 13 on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance. Previous recipients include US bestselling author Jonathan Franzen, Prince Charles and Mikhail Gorbachev.