LIU HAIYING

WHY HIM? Haiying is the eco-warrior leading the Saihanba Afforestation Community, which is working to reforest 92,000 hectares of a region of Inner Mongolia left almost entirely barren by logging. Since activists began replanting in 1962, tree cover has increased from 11.4 per cent of the area to 80 per cent. Last year, the UN recognised this achievement by presenting the group with a Champions of the Earth Award.