Meet the 10 Finalists of the RestorLife Awards 2026
By Restor Communications
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3 min read
Over the past few weeks, we've travelled the world without leaving our desks. There were moments when we forgot we were judging an award. We were simply reading stories. Stories of people who refused to give up on a forest, a river, a species or their community.
Through more than 320 applications, we've walked through New Zealand's ancient forests, stood beside Kenya's dry riverbeds, explored Brazil's Atlantic Forest, and watched communities bring nature back in extraordinary ways.
So proud to share with you the extraordinaire ten finalists of the RestorLife Awards 2026.
🇦🇺 Bangalow Koalas | Australia
What began as a neighbourhood campaign to save a small patch of trees has grown into Australia's largest community-led koala corridor restoration movement. By working with private landowners, Bangalow Koalas is reconnecting fragmented habitats, creating safe pathways for one of the country's most iconic endangered species.
🇳🇿 Native Forest Restoration Trust | New Zealand
For more than four decades, Native Forest Restoration Trust has permanently protected some of New Zealand's rarest forests and wetlands by purchasing threatened land and safeguarding it forever.
🇮🇩 Yayasan Gambut | Indonesia
Yayasan Gambut works alongside communities to restore degraded peatlands and mangroves, reduce fire risk, and create sustainable livelihoods that protect some of the world's most important carbon sinks.
🇬🇧 SUGi | United Kingdom
SUGi is transforming urban spaces into thriving native forests, proving that even small pockets of nature can cool cities, increase biodiversity, and reconnect people with the natural world.
🇧🇷 IPÊ – Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas | Brazil
For over 35 years, IPÊ has restored Brazil's threatened landscapes by reconnecting forests, protecting wildlife, and strengthening the resilience of both ecosystems and communities.
🇧🇷 SPVS | Brazil
SPVS has spent decades restoring one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, creating conservation jobs and proving that communities are central to successful restoration.
🇨🇴 SELVA | Colombia
By combining ecological science with community action, SELVA is restoring forests across the Americas while empowering farmers, students, and local leaders to care for the landscapes they depend on.
🇰🇪 Mount Kenya Trust | Kenya
Mount Kenya Trust is restoring forests, protecting vital water sources, and creating sustainable livelihoods around one of Africa's most important mountain ecosystems.
🇰🇪 Nature and People as One (NaPO) | Kenya
NaPO combines Indigenous pastoralist knowledge with ecological science to restore degraded rangelands and strengthen community stewardship across northern Kenya.
🇰🇪 Sand Dams Worldwide | Kenya
Sand Dams Worldwide helps communities capture and store rainwater naturally, restoring ecosystems while improving water security, agriculture, and livelihoods.
More good news: The ten finalists are just one part of this year's story. Through our partnership with Ma Earth, many other organisations that applied to the RestorLife Awards have also been independently selected for funding through Ma Earth's own programme. Seeing so many of our community's projects find new opportunities is exactly what these partnerships are all about.
What happens next?
Over the coming weeks, these ten finalists will launch their crowdfunding campaigns with support from Restor.
Thanks to our partnership with Ma Earth, every donation will be matched, helping each project go even further. We'll be sharing their stories over the coming weeks. We'd love your support. Every donation, every share, and every conversation helps restoration grow.
One finalist will also receive the $10,000 G20 Global Land Initiative Grand Prize, which we'll announce soon.
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