The Wire

An activist defending an important patch of forest in Sumatra has won a prestigious US environmental prize. Rudi Putra works with communities to push back against the encroachment of palm oil plantations on an ecosystem that serves as a home to rhinoceros and orangutans. Rudi Putra, along with five other grassroots activists working in different countries around the world were awarded this year’s Goldman prize, which is worth one hundred and fifty thousand US dollars.That money will go a long way in Indonesia, where Rudi Putra has been working to defend a vital patch of forest that’s almost seething with biodiversity.