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1 year ago

Uru Uru Team

Dayana Blanco Quiroga kneels to examine the water at Lake Uru Uru.

Recognized for her unique voice, leadership, and contribution to addressing the climate crisis in her community, the Young Climate Prize jury gave the Jury Prize to Dayana Blanco Quiroga. Over the last 10 years, the Uru Uru Lake in the Bolivian Andes—an internationally recognized wetland reserve—has been severely polluted by urban waste and mining discharge from the nearby city of Oruro. Since 2019, Dayana Blanco, an Aymara indigenous woman, and her Uru Uru Team have been adapting the ecological knowledge of their ancestors to restore the lake to health. Using collected plastic waste and harnessing the absorptive abilities of totoras, a native reed, the team’s efforts have so far reduced contamination in parts of the lake by up to 30%. The lake’s flamingos—around half of which had emigrated in search of less toxic environments—have even begun to flock home.


Speakers

Dayana Blanco
Dayana Blanco Quiroga
Oruro, Bolivia
Young Climate Prize Alumni

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