We’re excited to announce that Cynthia Ong will receive the 2025 Seacology Prize! This dedicated environmentalist has worked tirelessly to halt ecological damages on Borneo, as well as to promote positive, sustainable policies to help her island and its people thrive.

Forging coalitions with diverse groups, Cynthia has tackled a slew of Borneo’s most pressing issues. She helped to start a renewable energy coalition that will bring clean power to remote indigenous communities. Her work on certifying sustainable palm oil will go far to reduce the damage that oil palm plantations do to the island’s forests and communities. She was also key in developing a working group that succeeded in getting the Sunda pangolin listed as a “totally protected species” under Sabah State law.

Her advocacy for the environment and indigenous communities has pitted her against powerful interests. She worked to stop new coal plants that threatened to cause disastrous environmental damage and huge dams that would have destroyed forests and displaced indigenous communities—including one village where Seacology has a project. She was a strong voice in the battle to stop a government giveaway of carbon credit rights to a hedge fund based outside the country. She also led a successful effort to block a highway-sized bridge development over a critical wildlife corridor in the Kinabatangan River floodplain, an area of incredible biodiversity that is home to orangutans, Borneo pygmy elephants, and many more creatures. 

Cynthia founded Land, Empowerment, Animals, People (LEAP) in 2005. Its philosophy is that the solutions to complex global challenges need to come from local coalitions of indigenous peoples, conservationists, and—at times—government and industry players. 

In 2012, Cynthia developed an organization now known as Forever Sabah, which has developed a range of forward-looking, collaborative partnerships that aim to take on some of the most challenging environmental issues in Sabah, including food and agriculture; renewable energy; water, waste and soil; and tourism.

In isolation, any of these campaigns would be monumental. In parallel, they exemplify a unique conservation approach that balances economic development aspirations with ecological sustainability. Cynthia’s hope is that through these multi-pronged efforts, she may positively shift the political ecology of her home state of Sabah—which just happens to be one of the most ecologically critical and diverse island environments in the world.

We will present the 2025 Seacology Prize to Cynthia Ong on Monday, October 13, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California. As always, the prize ceremony is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Reserve your seat soon!