The 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize recognized Ana Colovic Lesoska for her decade-long campaign to preserve the Balkan lynx and the Mavrovo National Park. Born in 1979 in Skopje, North Macedonia, this biologist successfully challenged international financing for hydroelectric infrastructure projects that threatened local ecosystems. Her efforts forced a re-evaluation of environmental standards regarding biodiversity in the region.
The Save Mavrovo Campaign
In 2010, plans emerged to construct two major hydroelectric facilities within Mavrovo National Park: the 33-meter-high Boškov Most dam and the 70-meter-high Lukovo Pole dam. As the executive director of the research organization Eko-svest, Colovic Lesoska spearheaded the Save Mavrovo campaign. She collaborated with various activists and NGOs to challenge the development, arguing that the projects lacked necessary ecological scrutiny.
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Take the IQ test →Challenging Institutional Funding
The campaign focused on the role of international financial institutions, specifically the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank. In 2011, Colovic Lesoska filed a complaint with the EBRD, asserting that funding was approved without proper biodiversity assessments. She mobilized significant public support, garnering nearly 100,000 signatures on a petition that demanded a halt to the infrastructure projects.
Legal Protections and Outcomes
By 2013, she escalated her efforts by filing a formal complaint with the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, highlighting the threat to the Balkan lynx. This led to a 2015 directive from the Convention for the financiers to suspend support. Consequently, the World Bank withdrew funding immediately, followed by the cancellation of EBRD financing in 2017 and a court ruling that annulled the environmental permit for the Boškov Most project.
Fast facts
- Born: 1979, Skopje, North Macedonia
- Profession: Biologist and environmentalist
- Primary focus: Biodiversity conservation in Mavrovo National Park
- Key achievement: Halting hydroelectric dam construction
- Award: Goldman Environmental Prize, 2019
Questions readers ask
What specific environmental threat did Ana Colovic Lesoska address?
She campaigned against the construction of hydroelectric dams, specifically the Boškov Most and Lukovo Pole projects, which threatened the habitat of the Balkan lynx.
Which international organizations withdrew funding due to her campaign?
The World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) cancelled their financing for the projects following her interventions.
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