Press Release, 30.04.2014

YABLOKO’s Suren Gazaryan was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize. The ceremony took place in San-Francisco on April 28.

An internationally recognized bat expert and zoologist, Suren Gazaryan led multiple campaigns exposing government corruption and illegal exploitation of federally protected forestland along Russia’s Black Sea coast. His struggle against the construction of Putin’s palace and residence of the Krasnodar Governor Alexandr Tkachyov led to three criminal cases against Gazaryan and a threat to be imprisoned. In 2012 Suren Gazaryan had to leave Russia.

“The Western Caucasus, a wilderness area along the Black Sea shores in Russia’s Krasnodar region includes a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most unique and diverse ecosystems in Europe. Ranging from sub-tropical zones along the coast to 10,000-foot mountain peaks in the interior, it houses thousands of species of plants, birds and mammals, some of which are globally threatened. It is also a popular summer vacation spot for Russians. This wilderness area allows everyone, regardless of wealth or social status, to access and enjoy nature.

Despite the area’s environmental importance, an elite group of Russian officials are seizing tracts of land, forests and shorelines to build luxury private residences near the Black Sea coast. The 2007 announcement of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, located in the heart of the Western Caucasus, spurred even more development projects, further eliminating access to public lands and threatening wildlife,” runs the official Goldman Environmental Prize website.

The Goldman Prize continues today with its original mission to annually honor grassroots environmental heroes from the six inhabited continental regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk. The Goldman Environmental Prize recipients are selected by an international jury from confidential nominations submitted by a worldwide group of environmental organizations and individuals.