Goldman Environmental Prize winner goals to heal her atmosphere : NPR

Theonila Roka Matbob was born in what ought to have been a lush rainforest. Her household’s house is close to the middle of the most important island in Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Area of Bougainville within the Pacific Ocean.

As a substitute, she says, the mountains round her had been largely rock and sand. “You need to go miles — into one other area and territory — to seek out the timber, the forest,” says Roka Matbob, who’s now 35.

She grew up listening to fixed warnings concerning the atmosphere. “From our grandparents and fogeys, the recommendation you at all times get is: Do not go close to the water. Do not go close to the river. It’s toxic. Don’t eat something that falls onto the bottom,” she remembers. “And so they do not inform you why.”

Roka Matbob began asking questions and, finally, she found out the why.

Her work as an activist to restore the environmental and social harms has earned her The Goldman Environmental Prize for 2026. The winners had been introduced Monday: grassroots environmental champions, one in every of the world’s inhabited areas. Roka Matbob received for the island nations.

The set off for her environmental woes — and activism — is a mine.

Roka Matbob grew up minutes from the Panguna copper and gold mine, which had been developed by Rio Tinto, one of many world’s largest mining corporations with headquarters in Australia and the U.Ok. The mine close to Roka Matbob’s house was run by way of the subsidiary Bougainville Copper Ltd. Whereas the mine had lengthy been deserted, between 1972 and 1989 it produced hundreds of thousands of tons of copper and a whole bunch of tons of gold and silver.

It additionally provoked a bloody, decade-long civil conflict — one which began when pressure turned to violence because the mining firm introduced in exterior labor and took out the earnings. The navy was introduced in to cease the rebellion and the battle advanced right into a separatist insurgency. The conflict claimed 1000’s of lives and wreaked havoc on the neighborhood. Only a few days shy of Roka Matbob’s third birthday, her father was taken by an armed group and later killed.

Amid the unrest, the mine shut down. However, Roka Matbob says, that led to new issues. There was no plan to deal with environmental harm and contamination.

“I used to be born into that damaged atmosphere. Rising up it is a life on survival mode completely,” Roka Matbob says. She provides that her mom and remaining household had been “nomadic” as they seemed for security. They ended up shifting right into a authorities managed camp.

When a peace settlement was signed, in 1998, Roka Matbob felt it did not deal with the underlying points, together with the continued atmosphere devastation and the way 1000’s of individuals had been being “denied a standard island life.”

Her activism began as a excessive schooler main protests. She went on to develop into the lead complainant in a landmark human rights criticism filed by the Human Rights Legislation Centre in opposition to Rio Tinto. The end result has been hailed as a serious win. In 2021, Rio Tinto agreed to fund an impartial evaluation and, in 2024, signed a memorandum of understanding to work with the impacted communities to deal with and remediate the state of affairs.

“Theonila is main a historic effort to acquire justice for many years of environmental and social devastation due to the Panguna mine,” says Ilan Kayatsky, of the Goldman Environmental Prize, in an announcement to NPR. “She understood that nobody else would step ahead to coordinate a marketing campaign and demand accountability. Her efforts have introduced collectively a coalition intent on bettering the lives of Bougainvilleans, in the present day and into the longer term.”

NPR spoke with Roka Matbob to study extra about her work and perspective on conquering challenges that may really feel insurmountable. This interview has been edited for size and readability.

At what level did you understand that you may make a distinction?

There have been a pair milestones. In 2019, after we — the neighborhood — invited the Human Rights Legislation Centre to actually come and take heed to us. Simply listening to us out was, for me, progress.

Then, once they supported us by publishing a report referred to as “After the mine: Dwelling with Rio Tinto’s lethal legacy,” we acquired a be aware from Rio Tinto saying they’ve by no means been on the bottom to know the influence. And, to me, it was progress once more: They learn it.

After which, lodging a authorized criticism and Rio Tinto responding in 24 hours was progress as a result of that was a platform the place I may communicate straight [to them].

So that you revealed a report and took authorized motion and the mining firm responded. How did that make you are feeling? 

It’s a dream come true for me — the chance to characterize the folks’s voice and to speak on to the stakeholder who modified our lives. I shed tears to say, lastly, my grandmother did not [get to talk directly to them] however I am going to try this now.

However whereas we welcomed it, whenever you’re completely in a damaged atmosphere, it doesn’t offer you area to pause and have a good time and transfer on. So, the subsequent layer is: How quickly [can we fix it]? How lengthy is it going to take?

You’ve gotten been combating for this for a few years. Is there one thing you return to that retains motivating you?

I’m from the Indigenous Nasioi folks and the Basikang clan, the place the land, the atmosphere is an inseparable a part of my life. That is one thing that I am unable to take calmly.

Did you ever take into account merely leaving?

I can’t transfer as a result of, if I’m going to be shifting, I’ll be shifting into one other tribal territory, and that’s thought of a no-go zone. So that is the place my kids and grandchildren will reside as effectively. We’ll at all times be right here. We want an enduring answer, in order that motivates me.

What else motivates you?

Being a mom. No mom would need to go on to her baby a damaged, contaminated portion of the atmosphere. I’ve acquired two kids [ages 8 and 4] and there are such a lot of kids round who’re their age however haven’t got moms who’re capable of come out and battle.

You had been one among a really small variety of ladies elected to Bougainville’s Home of Representatives, the place you continued your advocacy. How have gender dynamics performed into your work?

It’s kind of tough. With politics — the tradition — could be very patriarchal. However, additionally, it is a blessing. [In my clan,] we girls are the land guardians and keepers. There may be this proverb in my language and territory: It takes a lady to cry to begin a battle, and it additionally takes a lady’s tears to dealer peace. So [this fight to get answers and solutions] can be a girl’s place in the neighborhood.

This Goldman honor comes with a money prize. What do you intend to do with it?

That is a call to make with the neighborhood. It takes a village to create a win. So it takes a village to make that call as effectively.

When will you are feeling your work is finished? When there is a inexperienced rainforest round you? 

No. The harm prompted is irreversible. I’ll work as long as this activism brings hope to the folks. I would like them to have the ability to perceive their whys and begin transiting out of dwelling in survival mode to dwelling in thriving mode.