Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho

Who is Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho?

Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho is an environmentalist from East Timor. He grew up in villages south of Liquica on the north coast of East Timor, and was 9 years old when the country was invaded by Indonesia. He hid in the jungle until the age of 13 and became a resistance fighter against the period of Indonesian occupation. He has a degree in Environmental Science obtained later in Indonesia.

Carvalho is a founder of the environmental organization, the Haburas Foundation. Haburas is one of East Timor's only environmental NGOs, and runs education and livelihood support programs. It began shortly before East Timorese independence and has attracted wide acclaim for its efforts to support environmental programs and Timorese values, particularly Tara Bandu, a customary law that enables traditional ecological wisdom.

de Carvalho was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004. Video on the Prizewinner