EcoTarium Names Elizabeth Maruma Mrema 2026 Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award Recipient
By Whats Up Worcester Staff
WORCESTER, MA — The EcoTarium has named Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, as the 2026 recipient of the Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award.
According to the EcoTarium, Mrema received the award during the museum’s 201st Annual Meeting on June 9, 2026. The Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award is the EcoTarium’s highest honor and is presented to an individual or group in recognition of lifetime achievements in conservation, environmental stewardship, and science education.
EcoTarium President and CEO Noreen Johnson Smith said the museum selected Mrema in recognition of her leadership in international conservation work.
“The EcoTarium is proud to present Elizabeth Maruma Mrema with the Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award in recognition of her leadership and diplomacy in establishing international agreements to protect and restore the biodiversity of our natural world across the globe,” Smith said.
Mrema is an environmental attorney and diplomat who has spent more than two decades in leadership roles with the United Nations Environment Programme. She accepted the award virtually from UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
In her acceptance remarks, Mrema said she was honored to be recognized by an institution focused on science, nature, and environmental learning.
“I am deeply honored and humbled,” Mrema said. “To be recognized by an institution that has done so much to inspire curiosity, learning, and stewardship of the natural world is a privilege that I will cherish.”
Mrema also emphasized that environmental progress depends on cooperation across communities, governments, organizations, and institutions.
“No meaningful achievement in environmental protection is ever the work of one individual,” Mrema said. “Lasting environmental progress is always a collective endeavor.”
As Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mrema helped build global consensus around the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, an international agreement focused on halting and reversing biodiversity loss. The framework includes four long-term goals for 2050 and 23 action targets for 2030.
Mrema said environmental challenges can feel overwhelming, but that she remains optimistic because of examples of cooperation among nations, communities, scientists, and young people.
“Progress happens when people persist. Progress happens when institutions endure. Progress happens when partnerships are sustained over time,” Mrema said. “That is the essence of multilateralism.”
The award connects global conservation work to local environmental education in Worcester. The EcoTarium, located at 222 Harrington Way, is one of the city’s long-standing science and nature institutions. Founded in 1825, the museum serves families, students, educators, and community members through exhibits, wildlife habitats, outdoor trails, planetarium programming, and science education.
Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea said the EcoTarium is a partner in helping residents connect with biodiversity and environmental stewardship.
“The EcoTarium is one of our key partners in educating people about nature and restoring biodiversity in our communities,” O’Shea said. “Honoring Ms. Mrema for her work with UNEP is a clear reminder that conservation requires collaboration on both a local and global scale.”
The EcoTarium also hosted the celebration of the first Massachusetts Biodiversity Day, proclaimed on May 22, 2026, by Governor Maura Healey and recognized locally by Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty. The event took place on the International Day for Biological Diversity and brought together local leaders, community partners, educators, and members of the public to highlight biodiversity efforts.
Massachusetts and California recently became the first U.S. states to join the International Union for Conservation of Nature as members, according to the IUCN. The move places the Commonwealth in a global conservation network alongside national and subnational governments, agencies, and organizations.
Smith said the EcoTarium’s strategic plan includes a commitment to environmental conservation, education, community engagement, and partnerships.
“These are times that call for both thinking globally and acting globally,” Smith said. “Global action can feel beyond our individual capability or sphere of influence, but it is within reach.”
The 2026 Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award was crowned with a hand-carved Piping Plover shorebird created by Ed Desrosiers, a three-time world champion woodcarver from Auburn. The EcoTarium described the Piping Plover as a threatened sentinel species that reflects conservation efforts and public cooperation to protect natural habitats.
Mrema closed her remarks by quoting Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangarĩ Maathai: “It’s the little things that citizens do, that’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.”
“One tree may seem small, one community may seem small, one country may seem small, but when people, communities, and nations come together around a common purpose, they can transform the world,” Mrema said. “That is the promise of conservation. And that is the power of multilateralism. And that is the responsibility we all share.”
About the EcoTarium
The EcoTarium is an indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester. Founded in 1825, the museum includes interactive exhibits, the Alden Planetarium, Science Discovery programs, outdoor trails, wildlife habitats, the Worcester Railers Explorer Express Train, and Nature Explore. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The W.U.W. Verification Box
Project / Topic: EcoTarium names Elizabeth Maruma Mrema the 2026 Edward Howe Forbush Naturalist Award recipient.
Current Status: Award presented at the EcoTarium’s 201st Annual Meeting.
Key Dates or Decisions:
June 9, 2026: Award presented during the EcoTarium’s 201st Annual Meeting.
May 22, 2026: First Massachusetts Biodiversity Day celebrated at the EcoTarium.
Estimated Cost: Not applicable.
Timeline: Award presented on June 9, 2026. No additional timeline announced.
Immediate Next Steps: No immediate public next steps were announced in the EcoTarium statement.
Primary Sources:
EcoTarium announcement
United Nations Environment Programme profile of Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
International Union for Conservation of Nature announcement on Massachusetts and California
What We Do Not Yet Know:
Whether a full recording or transcript of the EcoTarium’s 201st Annual Meeting will be made publicly available. Any future local programs connected to this award are pending official confirmation.
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