Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian youngster Adeline Tiffanie Suwana has won the ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity award for her contributions to environmental protection.

Adeline received the prize at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity that was held in Manila, the Philippines, on Wednesday (Nov 26).

Adeline is the founder of a non-profit organization, Sahabat Alam (Natures Friend), that focuses on the environment and has carried out a lot of work within Indonesia.

The 18-year-olds commitment to the cause began in 2008 when she became one of Jakartas flood refugees. The disaster led her to figure out the cause of the floods that hit Jakarta every five years.

When Adeline was 12 years old, she formed Sahabat Alam with her friends. The first project of the NGO was the planting of mangrove saplings along Jakartas shores.

Adeline has since carried out many programs under Sahabat Alam. Some of the projects included hawksbill conservation, coral reef conservation, study tours of conservation areas, regular cleaning of shores, educational campaign among youngsters, and tree plantations.

"As a young generation, we should show our love for the environment with our actions. The world has seen several movements started by young generations," Adeline noted.

The ASEAN Champions of Biodiversity is a program of the ASEAN Centre for Diversity launched in 2009. Under the program, a person who takes exceptional initiatives to conserve and disseminate knowledge about biodiversity is rewarded.

Reported by Aditya Ramadhan



Editor: Ella Syafputri
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