Six Conservation Champions Named
as DeHaan Finalists for the 2025 Indianapolis Prize
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, has named six distinguished conservationists as DeHaan Finalists for the 2025 award. The biennial award recognizes the most successful conservationists who have achieved major victories in saving an animal species or group of species. The DeHaan Finalists will each receive a $50,000 award to continue their conservation efforts.
The 2025 DeHaan Finalists were chosen from a group of 44 nominees because of their significant achievements in saving a species or group of species, the measurable outcomes resulting from their work, the number of years dedicated to conservation, the quality of science applied to their efforts and a demonstrated spirit of cooperation.
“These six extraordinary conservationists have demonstrated remarkable dedication and achieved tangible results in safeguarding threatened species across the globe. Through the Indianapolis Prize, we are proud to shine a light on these conservation heroes whose work gives us hope for the future of our planet’s more vulnerable species,” said Dr. Rob Shumaker, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society.
The six DeHaan Finalists are:
Alberto Alves Campos
Conservation biologist serving as a founder of Aquasis, a non-profit organization promoting endangered species and habitat conservation in Brazil. Campos helped improve the conservation status of the Antillean manatee in Brazil and created a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site for the wintering grounds of the endangered Red knot.
Lisa Dabek, Ph.D.
Creator of the first conservation area in Papua New Guinea focused on tree kangaroos. Dr. Dabek is the founder of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program where she works with local indigenous communities and local governments to establish long-term conservation plans for the species.
Biruté Mary Galdikas, Ph.D.
Orangutan researcher who first documented the long orangutan birth interval and recorded more than 400 types of food consumed by orangutans. As president and co-founder of Orangutan Foundation International, Dr. Galdikas has contributed to the release of more than 500 rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild and provided unprecedented detail about orangutan ecology. Galdikas was named an Indianapolis Prize DeHaan Finalist in 2023.
Julie Packard
International leader in ocean conservation, Packard strives to protect marine species and ecosystems. She has led the charge for the sustainable seafood movement by building a global seafood program grounded in ecosystem-based science and a market-based approach. As the founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Packard is a leading voice for science-based policy reform in support of a healthy ocean.
Lily-Arison René de Roland, Ph.D.
Revolutionizing conservation in Madagascar, Dr. René de Roland has contributed to the establishment of five national protected areas totaling 1,550 square miles. Serving as The Peregrine Fund’s national director of its Madagascar Program, René de Roland has helped identify several new species, including the Madagascar pochard duck, lemur species and a wolf spider. His community-based models alleviate human-wildlife conflicts and allow the conservation of Madagascar’s threatened animal species.
Lee James Taylor White, Ph.D.
Working as a field biologist and conservationist for 40 years, Dr. White’s research focuses on the critically endangered African forest elephant and their keystone ecological role in the countries of the Congo Basin. White has directed extensive population assessments, combated habitat loss, created a network of 13 national parks in Gabon and founded new collaborations thus protecting half of the world’s forest elephants.
The Winner of the 2025 Indianapolis Prize will be announced in May and will receive a $250,000 award. The Winner and DeHaan Finalists will be honored at the Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 27, 2025, presented by Cummins Inc., in downtown Indianapolis. For additional media assets, click here.
