Wangari Maathai

Pioneer of environmental conservation and women's rights in Africa

Professor Wangari Muta Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan environmental political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. A renowned academic, she was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree (in biology from the University of Nairobi), and the first woman to head a university department in Kenya. She was founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 50 million trees across Kenya while empowering women through environmental conservation. Her work linked tree planting with land degradation, deforestation, and women's rights, creating a model for sustainable development.

Maathai's advocacy led to the planting of 30 million trees in Kenya by 2004, and her methods were replicated globally through UN programs. She received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize 'for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace' - a historic first for an African woman. Despite facing political persecution and imprisonment, she continued her activism until her death from cancer in 2011. Her legacy lives on through the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies established at the University of Nairobi.

Her leadership demonstrated how environmental stewardship could combat poverty and promote gender equality, inspiring movements worldwide. The UN declared her birthday International Wangari Maathai Day in 2012 to honor her global impact. Key aspects of her work included:

• Linking ecological health with human rights
• Empowering rural women through tree nurseries
• Challenging corrupt land policies
• Advocating for democratic reforms