World Service

Theonila Roka Matbob’s life has revolved around the huge Panguna copper mine on her doorstep on the Pacific island of Bougainville. When a dispute about the mine’s profits escalated into a civil war in the late 1980s, the mine operation was simply stopped without a proper environmental clean-up. The conflict, which cost Theonila’s father his life, subsided a decade later but the environmental and social problems that the mine left behind have not gone away. To address the issues, Theonila decided to challenge one of the world's largest mining companies. Her work on behalf of the people affected by the Panguna mine was recently acknowledged when she received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work. Babar Afzal grew up in Kashmir but relocated to Delhi to become a high-flying consultant for a multinational company. Over a decade ago, he was moved by the plight of the shepherds in the north of India who tend to the special breed of Pashmina goats. Their extremely fine wool is highly prized, particularly for making pashmina shawls. The shepherds' numbers are dwindling as they battle an increasingly hostile climate. Since then, Babar has developed his Pashmina Goats Project supporting the shepherds and the skilled artisans who process the wool. But the future of the goats - and of pashminas – still hangs in the balance. Babar Afzal spoke to Outlook in 2014. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Radek Boschetty Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo description: Theonila Matbob, in a red, yellow and black top, stands on the edge of the open-cast Panguna copper mine on Bougainville. Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize.)