From Andean water canals to solar boats: ten Latin American green projects take top honours

In Cuenca, Ecuador, ten projects from six Latin American countries have won the 11th Premios Verdes — drawn from 2,087 entries across 29 countries — for practical answers to water scarcity, biodiversity loss, pollution and inclusion. In Peru, AQUARESTAURA took the freshwater prize for restoring ancestral Andean water systems: it has rehabilitated 79 kilometres of traditional canals, recharging groundwater by a reported 13 million cubic metres a year for Lima. Colombia's BIO CO won for regenerative agriculture working with 39 species, reusing 95% of its waste and providing 60 formal jobs. And in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Fundación Kara Solar connects Indigenous communities with solar-powered electric boats. 'Behind every project are people who are changing lives in their communities,' said Premios Verdes president Gustavo Manrique.