Candidates for Forest Friend of the Year 2026
Christian Barkentin Overby
- Christian is deeply passionate about old trees, which he travels around photographing
- He founded the Facebook group “Large and Old Trees in Denmark”, which now has more than 39,000 members
- He was one of the three proposers behind this citizen initiative: Protection and Preservation of Old Trees in Denmark
Molslaboratoriet
- In recognition of their persistent work with rewilding over many years
- For opening up a new way of seeing nature, almost forgotten in Denmark
- For their vision and mission, which have been groundbreaking for research
- For their communication and dissemination, including about the behaviour, social lives, and herd structures of large grazing animals
Foreningen for Genopretning af Tastum Sø
- For their efforts in restoring the ecosystem around Tastum Lake
- For their ambition to create one of Jutland’s largest lakes and a large connected natural area, linked with the Skive barracks’ land areas
- They demonstrate how dedicated local individuals can create real and tangible change for nature, the environment, climate, and biodiversity
- They are fighting against two massive chicken farms and two slurry tanks planned on top of a groundwater reservoir
Camaradas de la Naturaleza
- A young Indigenous volunteer group from Monte Verde, Bolivia
- Founded in 2024 after more than 110 days of fighting forest fires
- Leading the local community’s efforts in: environmental monitoring, fire preparedness, ecological restoration, and environmental education
- Marked by the loss of one of the founders during the fight against the forest fires
- A powerful example of local forest protection and collective mobilisation in Bolivia