Brazilian indigenous leader Almir Suruí received an award from the International Society of Human Rights this week in Geneva, Switzerland for his work in the Amazon. The leader of the Suruí tribe located on a reservation in Rondônia state, Almir is also the coordinator for the Etno-Ambiental da Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira (Coiab), an indigenous non-profit organization that seeks to protect human rights and the environment in the Amazon.

As a community leader, Almir has achieved success with important parternships and courageous acts. He denounced the OAS for illegal logging in the Amazon, which later lead to death threats against him. He partnered with Google, which is now mapping the part of the Amazon where he lives to help protect against deforestation. He also partnered with American NGO Forest Trends, which helps recuperate deforested land.

Almir is proud of the award, which in the past was given to the likes of the Dalai Lama, and hopes the prize will help him continue fighting to protect the Amazon.