Nigerian conservationist Rachel Ikemeh has been named one of five 2026 Rolex Awards Laureates. The announcement recognises more than two decades of work to protect one of Africa’s most threatened ecosystems through a conservation model driven by local communities. It also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, launched in 1976 to celebrate the Oyster’s 50th anniversary. The awards programme forms part of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, supporting individuals whose work advances scientific knowledge, protects biodiversity, and safeguards vulnerable habitats.
Rachel is the founder of the South-West/Niger Delta Forest Project (SWNDFP), an organisation dedicated to conserving Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Part of the Guinean Forests of West Africa biodiversity hotspot, the region contains the world’s third-largest mangrove forest and Africa’s second-largest swamp forest ecosystem. Despite its ecological importance, decades of oil pollution, habitat destruction, and unsustainable logging have made it one of the world’s most degraded environments.
Years of negotiations with local communities and stakeholders led to Rachel helping establish a protected conservation area of more than 1 000 hectares in 2021, managed by the Apoi community. The project has since become a model for conservation in the region.
Today, SWNDFP protects at least 13 threatened species, including the critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus monkey, whose population has recovered under the programme. Other beneficiaries include the grey parrot, West African dwarf crocodile, white-bellied pangolin, Nigerian white-throated monkey, red-capped mangabey, Anambra waxbill, Home’s hinge-back tortoise, and sitatunga.
The impact extends beyond wildlife to restored mangrove habitats, which have strengthened fisheries. Other conservation initiatives have created employment opportunities, expanded environmental education, and introduced alternative livelihoods for residents.
The programme now encompasses four conservation areas spanning more than 10 000 hectares. According to Rolex, more than 2 500 livelihoods have been improved, and over 18 000 people have participated in conservation education.
Support from the Rolex Awards will enable Rachel to further expand the model by creating four additional community conservation areas, alongside a training hub and a mobile education programme focused on conservation planning, habitat management, and sustainable livelihoods.
One of the new projects will establish the Niger Delta’s first locally managed marine protected area in Foropa, extending Rachel’s work from forests to coastal ecosystems.
Reflecting on her journey, she says the greatest reward is inspiring the next generation. “One of my team members asked a young boy from the community what he wanted to be when he grew up. He pointed at me. That still brings me to tears.”
