Young Paraguayan forest engineer wins top honours in prestigious international award
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil: Carmen Maria Araceli Monges, a 20-year-old conservation leader and forest engineering student from Paraguay, has won this year’s WWF International President’s Award – the global conservation organization’s top accolade to recognize outstanding leadership in young conservationists from around the world.
As a volunteer coordinator for WWF-Paraguay, and long-time volunteer for the organization herself, Carmen Monges was recently nominated as Paraguay’s focal point for Tunza, the United Nations Environment Programme’s youth mobilization strategy. She is also involved in developing the Paraguayan Network for Sustainable Cities, and coordinates the Paraguay exchange programme of global youth leadership development network, AIESEC.
“Carmen Monges is so inspiring – for her can-do attitude and her amazing energy, but also for the many concrete and creative ways she is taking action to share her skills and passions and to make the world a better place. WWF and I are so proud to recognize Carmen’s leadership potential, and I salute her achievements and the impact she is having – especially at just 20 years old,” said Yolanda Kakabadse, President of WWF International.
Carmen Monges is studying Forestry Engineering at the National University of Asunción, Paraguay.
This year’s WWF International President’s Award was presented in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, at WWF’s Annual Conference.
The award acknowledges and encourages outstanding achievements of young people under the age of 30 who are making strong and compelling contributions to nature conservation. Nominations are invited via WWF offices around the world.
Other awards presented during this year’s WWF Annual Conference include the WWF Award for Conservation Merit, going to Professor José Goldemberg, Doctor of Physical Sciences and Professor at the University of São Paulo; Dr Paulo Nogueira Neto, Member of the WWF-Brazil Board and Emeritus Professor at the University of São Paulo; and Gabriel Francia, Argentinean biologist and conservationist. Alvaro de Souza – WWF-Brazil’s former Chairman and Vice President of its Board of Directors, and WWF International Board Trustee – was made a WWF Member of Honour, while the WWF Gold Panda Award, recognizing significant generosity in supporting WWF, has been presented to José Roberto Marinho.
Media contact:
Gemma Parkes, WWF International Executive Communications Manager
gparkes@wwfint.org / +41 79 253 6386
About WWF
WWF is the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organization, with 6,000 staff, over 6 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
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