The Indianapolis Zoo announced the six DeHaan finalists for the 2025 Indianapolis Prize, celebrating individuals who champion conservation and protect biodiversity.
The group was narrowed from a field of 44, and their work spans continents, habitats, ecosystems and species. Leaders in science-based reforms, protecting habitats and alleviating human-wildlife conflict, the six finalists embody the mission of wildlife preservation.

The finalists are:
Alberto Alves Campos (Aquasis, Brazil): Conservation biologist serving as a founder of Aquasis, a nonprofit organization promoting endangered species and habitat conservation in Brazil. Campos helped improve the conservation status of the Antillean manatee in Brazil and created a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site for the wintering grounds of the endangered red knot.
Lisa Dabek (Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, Papua New Guinea): Creator of the first conservation area in Papua New Guinea focused on tree kangaroos. Dabek is the founder of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program where she works with local Indigenous communities and regional governments to establish long-term conservation plans for the species.
Biruté Mary Galdikas (Orangutan Foundation International, USA): Orangutan researcher who first documented the long orangutan birth interval and recorded more than 400 types of food consumed by orangutans. As president and co-founder of Orangutan Foundation International, Galdikas has contributed to the release of more than 500 rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild and provided unprecedented detail about orangutan ecology. Galdikas was named an Indianapolis Prize DeHaan finalist in 2023.
Julie Packard (Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA): An international leader in ocean conservation, Packard strives to protect marine species and ecosystems. She has led the charge for the sustainable seafood movement by building a global seafood program grounded in ecosystem-based science and a market-based approach. As the founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Packard is a leading voice for science-based policy reform in support of a healthy ocean.
Lily-Arison René de Roland (The Peregrine Fund, Madagascar): Revolutionizing conservation in Madagascar, René de Roland has contributed to the establishment of five national protected areas totaling 1,550 square miles. Serving as The Peregrine Fund’s national director of its Madagascar Program, René de Roland has helped discover several new species, including the Madagascar pochard duck, lemur species and a wolf spider. His community-based models alleviate human-wildlife conflicts and allow the conservation of Madagascar’s threatened animal species.
Lee James Taylor White (Institute for Tropical Ecology Research, Gabon): Working as a field biologist and conservationist for 40 years, White’s research focuses on the critically endangered African forest elephant and its keystone ecological role in the countries of the Congo Basin. White directed extensive population assessments, combated habitat loss, created a network of 13 national parks in Gabon and founded new collaborations, thus protecting half of the world’s forest elephants.
The winner will be announced in May and will be honored at the Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc. on Sept. 27.
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.