Dayana Blanco Quiroga

Dayana is an Aymara Indigenous woman from Bolivia. She co-founded the Uru Uru Team, an Indigenous-led initiative focused on restoring the sacred Uru Uru Lake. The lake is a Ramsar site and home to 76 bird species, including the unique James, Andean, and Chilean flamingos. It is also a vital life source for seven Indigenous communities.

Together with her community, Dayana is harnessing the power of nature and ancestral knowledge by using Totoras—native aquatic plants—to restore the lake. Their efforts have reduced pollution by 30%, allowing access to potable water once again—a fundamental right for all living beings.

For her outstanding work to restore harmony with nature disrupted by polluting industries, Dayana has been awarded the Equator Prize, the World Around Prize, and the Ramsar Convention Prize.

The Uru Uru Team is now impacting more than 300 Indigenous families, improving their quality of life, while the restored Totora areas are bringing back bird diversity to the lake.