Alumni News
Laura Gonzalez MPA-DP ’16 wins the 2025 Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for Innovation
Posted Feb 19 2025
Laura Gonzalez MPA-DP ’16, executive director of Marea Verde, has been awarded the 2025 Ramsar Wetland Conservation Award for Innovation for the organization’s groundbreaking approach to tackling plastic pollution. At the heart of Marea Verde’s achievement is the Wanda system, a first-of-its-kind river-based waste capture system deployed in Panama’s Juan Díaz River in 2022.
In just over two years, the Wanda system has prevented more than 540,000 pounds of waste and plastic from reaching Panama Bay, a Wetland of International Importance. The system also helps protect the area’s mangroves, estuaries, and lagoons.