The Earthshot Prize

And now it's time for the fifth and final Earthshot and to present it, the award-winning star of "Big Little Lies." She's also a prominent environmental activist passionate about protecting our oceans. She certainly is. I was lucky enough to work with her and I know that when it comes to environmental causes she walks the walk. Presenting the award to Revive our Oceans please welcome Shailene Woodley. (upbeat music) (audience clapping) (audience clapping and cheering) Ours is a beautiful blue planet and underneath the surface of the brilliant blue, our oceans are teaming with life. Life that protects us in so many ways. Carbon is captured by underwater forests, nations are fed by the bounty within and coastline communities are sheltered from storms by coral reefs. Just three of the ways our oceans protect, nourish and indeed care for our earth. But the oceans that protect us also need our protection. These are the three finalists whose solutions will help Revive our Oceans. -

Announcer

Sea Forester, restoring coastal ecosystems. Hidden below the surface of the oceans seaweed forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Thousands of species and countless livelihoods are depending on these crucial habitats. Using innovative deforestation techniques, we are replanting and restoring the earth's forgotten forests. We grow seaweeds in our nurseries before reintroducing them across the ocean floor. The goal is to reestablish these underwater forests. -

Announcer

Queensland Indigenous Women's Ranger Network. Our oceans are under pressure more than ever before. We work across land and sea management and conservation such as sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation. We protect our country by sharing our cultural knowledge and using new technologies to help educate and inspire the next generation. -

Announcer

The Great Bubble Barrier, removing plastic from waterways. The majority of plastics in our oceans comes from rivers. We create a screen of bubbles that blocks plastic from escaping to the oceans and it redirects it to the surface and riverside where it is retrieved, removed and processed. We stop these plastics from ever reaching our oceans. (audience clapping) The Earthshot for Revive Our Ocean goes to Queensland Indigenous Women's Rangers Network. (upbeat music) (crowd cheering and clapping) Congratulations to Larissa and her team. Let's take... (Host laughing) (crowd cheering) Let's take a look at the wonderful conservation work that the Queensland Indigenous Women's Ranger Network are doing to protect the oceans and coastlines where they live. (gentle music) -

Speaker 1

(speaking in foreign language) Over 60,000 years of traditional knowledge have given us an intimate understanding of coastal and marine environments. For First Nations, for Indigenous people, we don't separate land and sea. It is one body, so we have to look after all so that we have something for the future. The Queensland Indigenous Women's Ranger Network combines this experience with conservation work and training to protect and manage land and sea country. We're out there protecting species such as sea turtles with our rescue and rehabilitation program, measuring water quality in the area and monitoring sea grasses which are such an important part of the ocean's ecosystem. Seagrass meadows are one of the most efficient and powerful marine carbon sinks. They can bury carbon in the seabed much faster than tropical rainforests. Over the years, I've seen a decline in seagrass species here but also the quantity of the grasses. They have been severely impacted by major cyclones and flooding. But thanks to our conservation and interventions such as closing stretches of beaches along the coastline, we're helping protect seagrass ecosystems and the species that depend on them. (gentle music) We're using new technology such as drones to get to areas that we can't. It's a great new tool in our fight to protect our oceans. I believe it's important to preserve our marine habitats because they're a part of our culture. They're everything that make our identity and they're what keep our oceans alive. How many species of turtle are in the world? Our junior rangers have the opportunity to learn environmental, land and sea management with activities such as seagrass watch and marine turtle identification. Isn't she beautiful? This gives them the tools that they need to be the next custodians of these coastlines. What gives me hope for the future is the fact that we have a lot of young people that now wanna be involved in land and sea management. Winning the Earthshot prize means we can continue the essential work of our network. It's just a win-win situation all round for the environment and for our communities. We continue to protect and conserve our land not only for now, but also for the future generations. (audience clapping and cheering) Tell us how you feel tonight after winning this Earthshot prize? I'd like to say thank you to the Earthshot prize for bringing into focus the urgent need for action to protect our planet. I am so humbled by this award. I am grateful to every woman ranger in our network. Thank you for being part of this and walking this journey with me. Thank you to my family, my ancestors that came before me and to the young generations that's taken us forward. In 2008 I was the only woman ranger coordinator in Queensland. We now have 135. This prize is and will be a game changer. We are going to create a global opportunity for First Nations female-led conservation programs. A network for women coming together to help repair the planet fueled by traditional knowledge and new technologies. With hope and with positive actions like the ones we've heard about, we can feel hopeful for the future of our seas. Thank you very much. (audience cheering and clapping)