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Press Release
Two Dedicated Conservationists Awarded the 2025 National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation
The global nonprofit celebrates Micaela Camino and Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke, this year’s recipients of the National Geographic/Buffett Awards for Leadership in Conservation
Left to Right: Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke and Micaela Camino
Left to Right Credit: Bobby Neptune and Sara Cortez
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 27, 2025) — To recognize their achievements and leadership in their respective conservation roles, Micaela Camino and Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke have been awarded the 2025 National Geographic/Buffett Awards for Leadership in Conservation.
The National Geographic/Buffett Awards for Leadership in Conservation were established in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to recognize and celebrate unsung conservation heroes. Two awards are presented each year: one for achievement in Africa and the other for achievement in Latin America.
These outstanding individuals have demonstrated leadership in managing and protecting the natural resources in their regions and countries and are inspirational conservation advocates who serve as role models and mentors.
“We are proud to honor Micaela and Jackson for their leadership in the important conservation work they continually devote themselves to,” said Ian Miller, the Society’s chief science and innovation officer. “Their focus on collaboration within their communities serves as inspiration for people across the globe focused on how they can engage those around them to be passionate about local conservation issues and in making a positive impact on the health of our planet.”
Micaela Camino
An Argentinian conservationist for 15 years working in the threatened and often overlooked Dry Chaco ecosystem, Camino has focused her work on the Chacoan peccary and its habitat, leading to tangible conservation actions for the species. She has also fostered sustainable and inclusive conservation practices through her work with the Proyecto Quimilero, including professionals of different disciplines, technicians, Indigenous Peoples and members of Local Communities. Her work there led to the discovery of the Chacoan peccary on community lands — a species once thought to be extinct outside protected areas — highlighting the great importance of Indigenous´ and Local Communities´ lands and rights for conserving the species. Additionally, Camino works together with different groups and people fostering community-based and community-led effective conservation in the Chaco region, helping create Protected Areas and deforestation legal bans that deter deforestation.
Camino’s respectful and ethical engagement with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities has led to locally-based conservation and wildlife monitoring programs, improved peccary survey methods that are accurate and respect the rights and values of Indigenous Peoples, and the creation of educational resources and awareness programs for children. She and her team have trained 200 local people in wildlife monitoring and over 60 Indigenous teachers who implement awareness activities with rural children in the forest, focused on nature conservation and the value of their cultures.
“Incorporating our values into our work as conservationists makes it much more likely that our work will benefit those who need it most, whether that’s protecting an endangered species like the Chacoan peccary or working with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to amplify and support conserving their rights and land,” said Camino. “Placing those with an ethical approach in mind at the heart of conservation efforts can be the most effective practice in protecting vulnerable ecosystems everywhere and those who inhabit them, and I hope this award can inspire others to consider using these practices more widely.”
Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke
A conservationist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mbeke has spent over 20 years working to conserve and protect the Grauer’s gorilla, helping to develop the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE). Under his leadership, GRACE has grown from a rehabilitation center for orphaned gorillas to a leader in conservation education, community engagement and forest protection, all in support of Grauer’s gorilla conservation. With his conservation work focused in the heart of the Congo Basin — one of the world’s most biodiverse and yet unstable regions — Mbeke has achieved groundbreaking milestones in an effort to save critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas from extinction, often putting himself at risk in order to protect the welfare of people and gorillas. In 2004, Mbeke began conducting research on Grauer’s gorillas in Tayna Nature Reserve as a student at the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB). He became a faculty member there before beginning his work as a leader at GRACE.
While proficient in conservation research, Mbeke’s true passion is community engagement. He excelled at working with different factions of local communities to garner support for conservation and in building consensus for conservation plans prior to implementation. To help combat poaching, Mbeke also facilitated the implementation of conservation education programming inside and around the Reserve through in-person programs and weekly radio broadcasts. He has also coordinated support for the creation of a 500,000-acre Usala forest corridor connecting Tayna with Maiko National Park, securing traditional land rights for communities and allowing movement of Grauer’s gorillas between these two forests.
“I am extremely thankful to the incredible staff at GRACE and our Congolese community for their commitment in supporting our mission and efforts to conserve the Grauer gorilla’s population, as well as fostering empathy between animals and people more broadly,” said Mbeke. “This award really exemplifies the worldwide interest in and appreciation for conservation of the natural world and highlights the importance of working toward a future where communities and nature can thrive together peacefully for generations to come.”
The awards will be presented to these individuals at the Society’s annual Explorers Festival, hosted in collaboration with the Society’s long-standing partner Rolex.
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About The National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.
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