ANATOLY LEBEDEV: United Nations Forest Hero

In 2011 the United Nations awarded its first-ever round of Forest Hero Awards to celebrate the extraordinary individuals who dedicate their lives to protecting the world’s forests. Recipients were selected based on innovation, dedication, and grassroots initiative. Like so many of our incredible grantees, Anatoly Lebedev, fit the bill. He was one of only five award recipients!

An environmental journalist, Anatoly has dedicated his life to protecting Russia’s forests. Throughout his career, he has worn many hats, including that of Deputy Chairman of regional parliament, television producer, and author. Each role has helped him advance various environmental agendas to protect Russia’s natural resources.

One of Anatoly’s earliest successes was a media campaign to prevent development in the Ussuri Forest. The development would have encroached on the territory of indigenous peoples and threatened the Siberian tiger habitat. Since then, he has worked with various environmental groups to implement logging bans and pass legislation to protect national parks and forests from development or illegal logging.

Anatoly Lebedev (Photo: UN.org)

Anatoly’s astounding work first attracted Global Greengrants Fund’s attention in 2006, when we gave his organization a small grant to monitor illegal logging and fishing, as well as some questionable activities concerning mining, offshore drilling, and oil and gas pipelines. Since then, his efforts have spanned environmental education, advocacy, and legislation.

Today, much of Anatoly’s work is directed at anti-logging and deforestation, as well as the environmental implications of an oil pipeline that has been proposed between Russia and China. The pipeline would jeopardize indigenous communities, animal habitats, and entire ecosystems.

All of Anatoly’s successes have come in spite of the extraordinary funding constraints experienced by environmental activists across Russia. Many funders have pulled out of the region because of corruption and a lack of accountability and transparency. The lack of funding has also been exacerbated by the collapse of the USSR. Since then, the absence of tax incentives to donate to charitable organizations has greatly impacted philanthropic giving to Anatoly’s work.

Global Greengrants Fund has provided his organization with five grants over the last five years, enabling this remarkable activist to continue his important work.

As a journalist who uses media for social change, Anatoly has also seen success. His nomination as a UN Forest Hero follows his nomination as Honorable Environmentalist of Russia in 2000. He is still highly active on both local and national levels, writing reports, mobilizing resources, and consulting with international organizations to promote conservation and environmentalism in Russia.

To learn more about Anatoly Lebedev, check out the UN’s Forest Hero Award site.