We’re thrilled to announce that our 2013 Seacology Prize winner is Marie Saleem, a leading environmental conservation advocate whose research and activism have helped protect marine ecosystems in her home country of the Maldives.

As this year’s recipient, Saleem will receive $10,000 and will be honored at the Seacology Prize Ceremony on Thursday, October 3rd, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California.

Saleem has contributed in many ways to protecting marine species and habitats throughout the Maldives. Her study of shark populations led to a nation-wide ban on shark fishing and the trade of shark products beginning in 2010. More recently, she helped gain special protection measures for several shark and manta species under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).

Saleem also regularly conducts environmental awareness classes for children, works with several island communities on waste management, and participates in coral mitigation programs. She and her husband founded an environmental consultancy through which they run “marine discovery centers” for Four Seasons resorts in the Maldives.

“I am honored and overwhelmed to be recognized for the humbling work I have done with the communities and the environment,” Saleem says. “The Maldives, being a small island state, is dependent on the pristine nature of its natural environment and I believe that it is only with the holistic intertwining of the peoples’ lives with nature that we can help the environment.”

The Seacology Prize is underwritten by Seacology’s President Ken Murdock, in honor of his mother, Lalovi Fish Murdock. See past winners here.