全球環保人士最高榮耀「環保金人獎」2006得獎名單近日出爐，6位得獎者共同獲得12.5萬美元獎金，得獎者事蹟包括：越戰退武軍人威廉斯奮力向政府抗爭，以確保美國的儲備化學武器能獲得安全的處理；賴比瑞亞得獎者斯雅克揭發其國內前總統以非法伐木所取得的資金資助賴國內戰；巴西得主費德沙‧德席維亞則是透過抗爭，促生全球最大的熱帶雨林保護區。
環保金人獎創辦人古德曼（Richard Goldman）表示：「這6位得獎者是大家尚未知曉的重要人物。他們往往身處危境、孤身奮鬥，為保護家園環境而努力。他們令人驚嘆的成就也鼓舞我們所有人一起努力。」獎金高達美金12萬5千美元的環保金人獎，已經進入設立後的第17個年頭，每年頒發給6位民間環保英雄，而且是世界上類似獎項中最大的環保獎。
2006年「環保金人獎」得主遍及全球六大區域，簡述其事蹟如下：
北美洲：美國肯塔基州的威廉斯，58歲。威廉斯說服五角大廈停止焚化美國儲備老舊化學武器的計畫，並且建立全國性民間聯盟遊說更安全的廢棄方案。
非洲：賴比瑞亞的斯雅克，36歲。斯雅克提出證據揭露賴比瑞亞前總統泰勒（Charles Taylor）使用非法濫砍樹木所得的不當資金，用以發動長達14年的殘酷戰爭。
亞洲：中國的于曉剛，55歲。于曉剛數年來努力發展出一套革命性的流域管理計畫，同時也調查並]記錄水壩對中國社區居民的社會經濟衝擊。一般認為他的報告迫使中國中央政府必須支付因水壩而遷居的居民賠償金，現在也使政府針對大型水壩開發案對社會造成的衝擊進行評估考量。
中南美洲：巴西的費德沙‧德席維亞，35歲。費德沙帶領許多人一起努力，在巴西北部一處法治不彰致山老鼠橫行的偏遠地帶，建立全世界最大的熱帶雨林保護區。費德沙不畏死亡威脅，和地區組織一同合作為地方居民建立保護區，並且向巴西政府舉發盜伐林木等活動。
歐洲：烏克蘭的奧莉亞‧美蘭，26歲。美蘭是位律師，運用合法管道使大運河暫時停止興建，該大運河將從正中央穿越全世界最珍貴的溼地之一——多瑙河三角洲。
島嶼國家：巴布亞紐幾內亞的肯吉爾，32歲。肯吉爾揭發巴布亞紐幾內亞政府內部牽涉層面廣泛的貪污腐敗──當局縱容財團非法砍伐林木，破壞亞洲太平洋地區最大且最完整的熱帶森林地區。
欲得知更多關於環保金人獎得主們的資料與相片，請瀏覽以下網站：http://goldmanprize.org
A Vietnam veteran battling to ensure safe disposal of U.S. chemical weapons stockpiles, the Liberian who exposed the illegal logging that funded war in his country, and the Brazilian behind the creation of the world's largest area of protected tropical rainforest are among the winners of this year's prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize
'These six winners are among the most important people you have not heard of before," said Goldman Prize founder Richard Goldman. "All of them have fought, often alone and at great personal risk, to protect the environment in their home countries. Their incredible achievements are an inspiration to all of us." The $125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize, now in its 17th year, is awarded annually to six grassroots environmental heroes and is the largest award of its kind in the world.
The 2006 Goldman Environmental Prize winners are:
North America: Craig E. Williams, 58, Kentucky: Williams convinced the Pentagon to stop plans to incinerate old chemical weapons stockpiled around the United States and has built a nationwide grassroots coalition to lobby for safer disposal solutions.
Africa: Silas Kpanan'Ayoung Siakor, 36, Liberia: Siakor exposed evidence that former Liberia President Charles Taylor used profits of unchecked, rampant logging to pay the costs of a brutal 14 year war.
Asia: Yu Xiaogang, 55, China: Yu spent years creating groundbreaking watershed management programs while researching and documenting the socioeconomic impact of dams on Chinese communities. His reports are considered a primary reason that the central government paid additional restitution to villagers displaced by existing dams and now considers social impact assessments for major dam developments.
South and Central America: Tarcísio Feitosa da Silva, 35, Brazil: Feitosa led efforts to create the world's largest area of protected tropical forest regions in a remote, lawless region in northern Brazil threatened by illegal logging. Despite death threats, Feitosa worked with local organizations to create protected lands for local residents and exposed illegal logging activities to the Brazilian government.
Europe: Olya Melen, 26, Ukraine: Melen, a lawyer, used legal channels to temporarily halt construction of a massive canal that would have cut through the heart of the Danube Delta, one of the world’s most valuable wetlands.
Islands and Island Nations: Anne Kajir, 32, Papua New Guinea: Kajir uncovered evidence of widespread corruption and complicity in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government, which allowed rampant, illegal logging that is destroying the largest remaining intact block of tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.
For more information and photos of the Goldman Prize winners, visit: http://goldmanprize.org/
