Fuiono Senio (died 17 May 1997) was a chief and

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that s ...

from Falealupo village on the island of Savai'i in Western Samoa. A logging company offered funds to the Samoan government to build a school for Senio's village if they could log the rainforest nearby. As the loggers were about to start work, a visiting biologist offered to raise funds if logging stopped. The village elders agreed to accept the offer and set aside the rainforest from the coast to the interior ridge of Savai'i, as a rainforest preserve. The loggers returned, and Senio ran in front of them and threatened them with a

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca uses a machete to carve wood. ...

, telling them to go away. This act became well known throughout the South Pacific, where similar problems affected many poor island communities. He was awarded the

Goldman Environmental Prize The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. ...

in 1997, shared with

Paul Alan Cox Paul Alan Cox is an American ethnobotanist whose scientific research focuses on discovering new medicines by studying patterns of wellness and illness among indigenous peoples. Cox was born in Salt Lake City in 1953. Education After receiving h ...

, for their contributions to the protection of

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

s of

Falealupo Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealu ...

. He died of liver cancer a month after receiving the Goldman prize.

References

Year of birth missing 1997 deaths Samoan chiefs Samoan environmentalists People from Vaisigano Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Samoa Goldman Environmental Prize awardees {{environmentalist-stub