Wanze Eduards is a Saramaka

Saramaka

The Saramaka or Saramacca are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname. The word "Maroon" comes from the Spanish cimarrón, itself derived from an Arawakan root; by the early 16th century it was used throughout the Americas to designate slaves who successfully escaped from slavery.-...

 leader from the Republic of Suriname

Suriname

Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...

. He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize

Goldman Environmental Prize

The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...

 in 2009, jointly with Hugo Jabini

Hugo Jabini

Hugo Jabini is a Saramakan from the Laduani village by the Suriname River. He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009, jointly with Wanze Eduards, for their efforts of protecting their traditional land and tropical rainforests against industrial logging, supported by the Inter-American...

, for their efforts to protect their traditional land against logging companies, by bringing the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...

, and further to the Inter-American Court. Their efforts resulted in a landmark ruling regarding the right of tribal and indigenous people in the Americas to control the exploitation of natural resources in their territories.