28 October 2010: The Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, received the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity in recognition of her “special contribution to saving biodiversity during the International Year of Biodiversity.”

The Special Prize was announced at an awards ceremony on 27 October 2010, at a reception hosted by Japan’s Minister of Environment in Nagoya, Japan, on the margins of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Chancellor Merkel was commended for showing strong leadership on global environmental issues such as biodiversity and climate change, and for making biodiversity a top agenda item at the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm in 2007. Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Government of Germany, accepted the award on behalf of Chancellor Merkel.

The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to conservation and sustainable use at local and global levels, and who have developmentally influenced various biodiversity-related efforts, as well as raised awareness about biodiversity. [CBD Press Release]