Tero Mustonen is the first Finn to win the Goldman Environmental Prize. The location of the forest to be restored with the prize money will be revealed in June.
– The first gala of the award was in San Francisco, where we were part of a group of six in front of 3,000 people at the Opera House. The idea was to give one person from each continent this award. From there we went on to Washington where there was another similar gala. There we met with the US political leadership, congressmen, ministers and others,” says Mustonen.
The Goldman Prize is worth USD 200 000, or around EUR 185 000, and will be used by the Snowmaking Cooperative, founded by Tero and Kaisu Mustonen, to restore 73 hectares of forest in the Inari region.
– We are still in negotiations and probably in June we will be ready to specify the location of the site. It is safe to say that it is a smart area for traditional Sámi land use, i.e. reindeer husbandry, hunting, fishing and handicrafts.
Tero Mustonen is the first Finn to receive the Goldman Prize. The award was given to Mustose for the grassroots work he has done to combat climate change and nature loss.
Mustonen: Sámi land is Sámi territory
The Lumimuutos cooperative’s *Elpyvä landscape* restoration program includes more than 70 sites around Finland. One of the priority areas is the restoration of forests and water bodies in the Sámi region. The work combines the indigenous knowledge of the Sámi people and the latest science.
– With the help of restoration, we can also support land and water rights and the idea that the Sámi people can decide on the management and use of the sites.
The Sevettijärvi region is one of the oldest restoration sites of the Lumimuutos cooperative, and the cooperation with the Koltsa Sámi people began more than 10 years ago. In addition to the restoration work, the collaboration has resulted in the *Eastern Sámi Atlas* work, which has been distributed to every kolttakoti.
Mustonen was born in Tampere and now lives in Selkie, North Karelia, in the homeland of his father’s family. He visited Sevettijärvi for the first time in the early 1980s during a family vacation.
– Yes, visiting Saami was always the highlight of the year. Arrived somewhere completely different, nature was left, there were trout and grayling to fish for. It left a deep mark.
Later, Mustonen has visited Sevettijärvi many times. However, he emphasizes that he is in the village as a visitor, even though he knows the region.
– It’s great to visit Sami. Over the years, really significant deep conversations and friendships have been born there. However, it is clear that it is the Sámi’s territory, and that the Sámi should be more involved in determining how the land is used.