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Conservation Heroes Gallery

Meet the coolest people on Earth who spend their lives saving animals and protecting nature! These heroes come from all over the world and do amazing things to help our planet.

About This Gallery

These amazing people come from every place you can imagine - Africa, Asia, Europe, and everywhere else! They do super cool things like planting millions of trees, saving baby animals, and fighting to protect forests. Some of them are kids just like you who decided to change the world!

๐ŸŒŸ Super Cool Fact!

Guess what? Almost HALF of the world's best conservation groups were started by kids under 18! That means you could start saving the world right now - you don't have to wait until you're a grown-up!

Pick a Continent to Explore!

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Wangari Maathai

Kenya, Africa
When she was a kid: Wangari grew up in rural Kenya and loved climbing trees and learning about plants from her mom
How she became a hero: She studied hard, went to college in America, then came back to help women in her village
What she did: Planted over 30 MILLION trees! That's like planting a tree for every person in California!
Super cool award: She was the first African woman EVER to win the Nobel Peace Prize!
"It's the little things citizens do that will make the difference."
Learn More About Her!
๐ŸŒฑ Green Belt Movement ๐Ÿ† Nobel Prize Biography
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Isatou Ceesay

Gambia, Africa
When she was young: Isatou was just a regular girl in her village, but she noticed that plastic bags were everywhere and animals were dying from eating them
Her bright idea: "What if we could turn this trash into something beautiful?" So she learned to crochet plastic into purses!
How it grew: She taught her friends, then they taught more women, and now it's happening all over West Africa
Why it matters: She turned trash into treasure AND helped save the environment!
"We washed the bags, dried them, cut them into strips, and crocheted them into bags. We never gave up, knowing we were doing it for a good cause."
Learn More About Her!
โ™ป๏ธ One Plastic Bag Project ๐Ÿ‘‘ Queen of Recycling Story
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Jane Goodall

Research Site: Tanzania, Africa
When she was little: Jane LOVED animals! At age 4, she hid in a chicken coop for hours just to see how a hen laid an egg
Her big dream: After reading Tarzan books, she dreamed of going to Africa to live with animals (and she actually did it!)
How she got there: She saved money working as a waitress, then sailed to Africa when she was 23
Mind-blowing discovery: She found out that chimps use tools, have feelings, and are like us in many ways
For kids today: She started Roots & Shoots so kids everywhere can help animals and nature
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
Learn More About Her!
๐Ÿฆ Jane Goodall Institute ๐ŸŒฑ Roots & Shoots Program ๐Ÿ‘ง Kids Interview
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Vandana Shiva

India, Asia
As a kid: Vandana grew up in the mountains of India where her mom taught her that every plant and animal is connected
What made her care: She saw how big companies were making farmers use chemicals that hurt the soil and made people sick
Her mission: She collects and saves over 5,000 different kinds of plant seeds like a nature superhero!
Why that's important: She helps farmers grow healthy food without harmful chemicals
Learn More About Him!
๐ŸŒพ Navdanya Foundation ๐Ÿ“š Biography
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Saalumarada Thimmakka

India, Asia
Her story: Thimmakka couldn't read or write, but she and her husband decided they wanted to leave something beautiful for the world
How they started: They began by planting just a few banyan trees along the road to their village
What happened: They kept planting every year and took care of over 8,000 trees like they were their own children!
Her nickname: Everyone in India calls her the "Mother of Trees" because she loves them so much
Research Resources
๐ŸŒณ UN Environment Feature ๐Ÿ“บ BBC Documentary
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Greta Thunberg

Sweden, Europe
When she was your age: Greta was a quiet kid who worried A LOT about climate change after learning about it in school
Her brave decision: At age 15, she decided to skip school every Friday and sit outside the Swedish Parliament with a sign
What happened next: Kids all over the world saw her and said "I want to do that too!" Now millions of kids join her strikes!
The coolest part: She proved that one kid with a sign can change the whole world
Research Resources
๐ŸŒ Fridays for Future ๐Ÿ‘ง Kids Biography
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David Attenborough

United Kingdom, Europe
As a little boy: David collected rocks, bird eggs, and butterflies. His room was like a mini natural history museum!
His first job: When he was 26, he got a job at the BBC and convinced them to let him make shows about animals
What he does: He makes the most amazing animal movies and TV shows that make millions of people love nature
How long: He's been filming animals for over 70 years - that's older than your grandparents!
Research Resources
๐Ÿ“บ BBC Profile ๐Ÿ… Kids Biography
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Rachel Carson

United States, North America
When she was little: Rachel spent hours exploring the woods and fields near her home, and she loved to write stories about what she found
Her big moment: She noticed that birds were disappearing and figured out it was because of dangerous chemicals called pesticides
What she did: She wrote a famous book called "Silent Spring" that explained why the chemicals were so dangerous
Amazing result: Her book helped get the bad chemicals banned and saved tons of birds!
Learn More About Her!
๐Ÿฆ… Rachel Carson Council ๐Ÿ“š Kids Biography
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Sylvia Earle

United States, North America
As a kid: Sylvia fell in love with the ocean at age 3 when a wave knocked her down - instead of being scared, she thought it was awesome!
Growing up: She spent every moment she could in the water, learning to dive and studying sea creatures
Her adventures: She explores the deep, deep ocean where hardly anyone has ever been - like being an astronaut underwater!
First woman ever: To be the top ocean scientist for the whole United States government
Learn More About Her!
๐ŸŒŠ Mission Blue ๐Ÿ  National Geographic Explorer
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Chico Mendes

Brazil, South America
Growing up: Chico lived in the Amazon rainforest and learned from his dad how to get rubber from trees without hurting them
What he saw: Big companies started cutting down huge parts of the forest, destroying the homes of animals and people
His brave fight: He organized peaceful protests to stop the forest from being destroyed, even when it was dangerous
His legacy: Because of his sacrifice, there are now huge protected areas of rainforest that nobody can cut down
Learn More About Him!
๐ŸŒฒ WWF Legacy Story ๐ŸŒณ Rainforest Alliance
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Marina Silva

Brazil, South America
Her tough start: Marina grew up super poor in the Amazon and couldn't even go to school until she was 16 because she had to work
How she learned: She taught herself to read and became passionate about protecting the forest where she grew up
Her big job: She became Brazil's Environment Minister - like being the boss of protecting nature for the whole country!
Amazing result: She helped cut down Amazon deforestation by 60% - that's more than half!
Learn More About Her!
๐ŸŒŽ UN Environment Champion ๐ŸŒฒ Forest Defender Profile
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Tim Flannery

Australia, Oceania
As a boy: Tim was obsessed with collecting things - rocks, fossils, and especially bones of weird animals nobody had seen before
His adventures: He explores remote jungles and mountains looking for new animals, like a real-life Pokemon hunter!
Cool discoveries: He found over 30 new types of animals that nobody knew existed - and he got to name them!
His mission now: Warning people about climate change and how to save animals from getting too hot
Learn More About Him!
๐ŸŒก๏ธ Climate Council ๐Ÿฆ˜ Australian Museum
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Dame Anne Salmond

New Zealand, Oceania
Growing up in New Zealand: Anne learned from Mฤori elders that rivers, forests, and mountains are like living family members that need to be respected
Her big idea: She realized that nature should have the same legal rights that people do - like the right not to be poisoned or destroyed
Historic achievement: She helped make the Whanganui River become a "legal person" with its own rights!
Why that's amazing: Now if someone tries to pollute the river, it's like hurting a real person - and that's against the law!
Learn More About Her!
๐Ÿ›๏ธ Parliament Story ๐Ÿ“š NZ Encyclopedia

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