The laureates

Fiorella Herrera is a marine biology student, a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Ambassador in Peru, a member of WECAN at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a member of Global Shapers, a Peace Ambassador for Youth and Students for Peace, an advisory member of Neotropical Primate Conservation and Amazon Aid, a delegate to the Youth Congress for Sustainable Americas, and the founder of the NGO WE CAN BE HEROES (WCBH). WCBH is an organization that carries out socio-environmental projects to benefit indigenous and vulnerable communities along Peru’s coasts, in its mountains, and in its forests.

Among its most notable projects are the construction of improved kitchens and dry toilets, the cultivation of quinoa, the renovation of a school, workshops on responsible consumption for fishermen, beach cleanups, environmental education workshops and training sessions in various regions of the country for adults, women, youth, and children, workshops on building organic gardens for schools, and the implementation of a municipal ordinance to reduce plastic use, among other initiatives. Today, the organization protects and conserves 25,000 hectares of primary forest as part of the “Salva tu selva” project in the Peruvian Amazon. As part of this project, initiatives for the sustainable extraction of natural resources are being implemented to promote a sustainable economy and reduce illegal activities such as mining, logging, and poaching in 12 indigenous communities in the Amazon.

As a result, in 2023, they succeeded in stopping illegal logging and mining in the Napo River in the Loreto region of Peru. Their commitment to this achievement was so strong that they produced a documentary titled *El Otro Río*, which showcases their work and their ongoing struggle for conservation. Today, nine indigenous and rural communities are protecting this section of the Napo River.

“You don’t have to be from the Amazon or live in this part of the world to love something this much and want to protect it. You just have to know it.” – Fiochi – Fiochi