A South African project received international recognition for conservation and humanitarian work at a local level.
The Defender Awards champions and supports small-scale charities and non‑profit organisations that work on humanitarian and conservation projects.
Six projects were chosen from a shortlist of 56 across four categories: land, wild, humanity and sea. Each winner receives a Defender 4×4, a £100,000 bursary and mentorship from a community of experts. The awards represent a £1 million commitment from the brand, which has supported the British Red Cross for 70 years and African conservation charity Tusk for two decades.
The judging panel was co-chaired by Defender Managing Director Mark Cameron and Zimbabwean conservation biologist Dr Moreangels Mbizah, founder of Wildlife Conservation Action. Entries were assessed on how well they fitted their category, the impact they are making, their level of innovation, and how a Defender would help the project succeed.
Defenders of the Sea
The Litterboom Project, South Africa This project manages plastic barriers on the Tongaat, Umhlanga, Umgeni and Umbilo rivers, stopping an estimated five tonnes of waste a month from reaching the ocean. The Defender will help teams reach remote river systems and find new sites for protection.
PolluSub, France PolluSub captures underwater waste at port entrances and exits, tackling pollution before it settles on the seabed. The team hopes to create a model that can be used in other ports in France and abroad. The Defender will transport equipment and serve as a mobile base.
Defenders of the Land
Thousand Year Trust, UK The Cornwall Rainforest Project plans a 10,000-acre restoration on Bodmin Moor, including 1.28 million native trees to reconnect habitats and support rare species. The vehicle will act as a mobile field base for reaching remote planting zones.
Next Commons Lab, Japan This initiative treats forests, rivers and satoyama landscapes as one connected system to be restored. After a pilot in Owase City, where 700 people joined restoration workshops to help the near-threatened red-bellied newt, the team will launch a training programme for more than 100 professionals. The Defender will cover up to 1,400km between project sites.
Defenders of the Wild
Salviamo l’Orso, Italy Only about 60 Marsican brown bears remain in central Italy. The Bear Smart Landscapes project works to reduce conflict between people and wildlife and to improve habitat. The Defender will serve daily travel on dirt roads and mountain trails, and funding will help establish a new volunteer centre.
Defenders of Humanity
Skin Check Champions, Australia Project Check Mate has carried out 25,000 skin checks in remote communities and identified more than 600 potential melanomas and 1,800 non-melanoma skin cancers. The Defender will tow the charity’s mobile clinic to more communities, and the funding will support operations for the next two years.
The Litterboom Project’s win is a welcome bit of recognition for the people working on KwaZulu-Natal’s rivers, and a reminder that the most useful conservation work often happens close to home.
About
The Defender Awards were conceived to recognise heroes across four categories: land, wild, humanity and sea. Selected from a 56-strong shortlist, the outstanding global winners are champions of marine protection in South Africa and France, biodiversity and ecological restoration in the UK and Japan, wildlife conservation in Italy, and vital healthcare provision in Australia. To find out more about Defender Awards, click here.