Prince William’s Earthshot Prize has come under fire from environmentalists after selecting a Mumbai venue tied to the fossil fuel industry and a controversial private zoo. The annual conservation awards ceremony, which grants £1 million to five winners each year, is scheduled to take place at the Jio World Convention Centre on Nov. 17.
A spokesperson for the organization confirmed the venue selection to The Guardian and news outlet Mongabay. The convention center belongs to Reliance Industries, an Indian conglomerate headed by billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The company owns Jamnagar, the world’s largest oil refinery, located in Gujarat. Reliance’s philanthropic branch also finances Vantara, a massive 400-hectare private zoo established by Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani, which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.
Conservation Concerns and International Scrutiny
Located near the family’s oil refinery, the private sanctuary houses over 2,000 animal species and more than 150,000 individual animals. Its collection includes endangered and extinct-in-the-wild species, such as Madagascar’s radiated tortoise and Brazil’s Spix’s macaw. The rapid speed and sourcing methods used to assemble the vast animal collection have drawn criticism from global wildlife advocacy groups.
Megan Carr of the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa warned that hosting the event at a Reliance-owned venue “could lend an unearned environmental prestige to a corporate group currently under question by the global conservation community.”
The 32-member committee governing the UN-administered Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) recently requested that Indian authorities submit an updated report regarding the country’s imports of protected species. The committee also instructed the CITES secretariat to examine 11 specific cases where questions remain unresolved regarding how animals were transferred to Vantara.
Susan Cheyne, vice-chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s small apes section, stated that transferring primates out of their native range countries into private facilities does not aid wild populations unless a transparent and credible plan exists for their welfare, breeding, and eventual return. Daniela Freyer, co-founder of the German organization Pro Wildlife, added that an award dedicated to fixing the climate and protecting nature should avoid lending its reputation while trade origins remain under investigation.
Earthshot Defense and Facility Response
Addressing the criticism, Joanna Swift, executive director of communications for the Earthshot Prize, stated that the organization is paying standard commercial rental rates rather than entering into a philanthropic partnership. She explained that the venue was selected because it possesses the required technical infrastructure and experience to support an event of this magnitude in Mumbai, noting that the location hosted Mumbai Climate Week in February.
Swift emphasized that holding the event in India was vital, pointing out that Mumbai is home to significant environmental solutions whose impact extends both nationally and globally.
Vantara has previously denied allegations of wildlife trafficking, maintaining that its purpose is to rescue, treat, and rehabilitate distressed animals while running breeding programs for endangered species under human care. Last year, India’s Supreme Court cleared the facility of claims involving illegal animal acquisition and mistreatment.
Internal documents previously reported by The Guardian and Mongabay revealed that Vantara had sought to lobby UK officials to adopt a more favorable stance on India’s animal import practices during CITES discussions, though British ministers were advised against formal engagement with the entity.
