Nigerian wins global prize for trying to save bats in a country that shuns them
Summary
A Nigerian scientist, Iroro Tanshi, won the global Goldman Environmental Prize for her work protecting endangered bats in Nigeria’s Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. She led a community campaign to stop wildfires that harm the bats and helped change local negative views about them.Key Facts
- Iroro Tanshi discovered endangered short-tailed roundleaf bats in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary after nearly 50 years.
- She noticed wildfires, often started by farmers clearing land, threatened the bats’ habitat.
- Tanshi created community fire brigades that have stopped large wildfires between 2022 and 2025.
- Bats in Nigeria are often linked to witchcraft and feared by many people.
- Her campaign educates locals, especially children, about the ecological benefits of bats, such as pollination and seed dispersal.
- Shea butter production depends on bats because they spread the seeds of shea trees.
- Tanshi is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington in the US.
- She is one of six female winners of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize, marking the first time all winners are women.
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