• Analysis
Earthshot prize Mumbai venue criticism: awards to be held at Reliance-owned centre
The Earthshot prize will hold its annual awards ceremony at Mumbai's Jio World Convention Centre on 17 November, an Earthshot spokesperson confirmed. Environmentalists have criticised the choice because the venue belongs to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, which also owns the world's biggest oil refinery.
The Earthshot prize, founded by Prince William in 2020 and billed as the most prestigious environmental award, will hold this year's ceremony at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on 17 November, an Earthshot spokesperson confirmed. The prize awards £1m to five winners every year to invest in conservation work.
The choice of venue has drawn criticism from environmentalists because the Jio World Convention Centre is part of Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, which also owns Jamnagar in Gujarat, the world's biggest oil refinery.
A venue tied to oil refining
The criticism centres on the link between the awards, which honour environmental work, and a corporate group whose interests include refining crude oil. Reliance's philanthropic arm also funds Vantara, a 400-hectare private zoo founded by Mukesh's son Anant Ambani and inaugurated by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, last year.
Megan Carr of the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum South Africa warned that a Reliance-owned venue could lend an unearned environmental prestige to a corporate group currently under question by the global conservation community.
Moving animals out of their range countries into a private facility does nothing for wild populations
Questions around Vantara
The Vantara zoo controversy sits behind much of the disquiet. The site, near the family's oil refinery, houses more than 2,000 species of animals - more than 150,000 animals in all - and has faced long-running controversy over how they were sourced. Reported residents range from the radiated tortoise, native to Madagascar, to the Spix's macaw, endemic to north-eastern Brazil and now considered extinct in the wild.
This week, the 32-member committee governing Cites:
- •asked India to submit another report on the steps it is taking to address concerns relating to its imports of protected species
- •requested the Cites secretariat review 11 cases where there are unresolved questions over how animals were sent to Vantara
What critics say
Susan Cheyne, vice-chair of the IUCN's small apes section, said Vantara's model has not been shown to support conservation and may be driving demand for wild animals in trade. She said that without a transparent, credible plan, moving animals out of their range countries into a private facility does nothing for wild populations.
Daniela Freyer, co-founder of Pro Wildlife, said the Cites Standing Committee decided to keep India under its compliance procedure, as questions remain about the origin of some of the world's rarest animals imported to Vantara.
Earthshot's response
Joanna Swift, Earthshot's executive director of communications, said the prize had not sought a philanthropic partnership for its award ceremony venue and that it was paying the standard commercial rate. She said the venue was chosen because it met the practical requirements of an event of its size. "It offers world-class facilities, technical infrastructure and experience of hosting major international events," she said.
Swift also noted that in February this year, JWCC hosted the first ever Mumbai climate week.
She said it was vital to host an edition of the prize in India, noting: "Mumbai is the sixth largest city on earth. It is home to exceptional environmental solutions".
Vantara's denials and the wider context
Vantara has denied allegations of wildlife trafficking, saying its purpose is to rescue wild animals in distress, provide treatment along with lifelong care, and rehabilitate those fit for the wild. On its website it says that, with regulatory approval, it breeds select endangered or extinct-in-the-wild species, describing itself as a modern Noah's Ark serving to ensure their survival under human care.
Last year, India's supreme court cleared the zoo of allegations that animals had been acquired illegally or mistreated. A later Cites fact-finding mission raised concerns about India's compliance with international animal-import rules in 2025 and recommended temporary restrictions on India, although the recommendation was later withdrawn.
Separately, internal documents reported earlier this month revealed that Vantara lobbied the UK - chair of this week's Cites meetings - to take a more sympathetic view of India's handling of imports, and that ministers were advised not to engage formally with Vantara.
William promoted the prize on the BBC's Graham Norton show last month, saying it was designed to "talk about urgency and optimism together".
Vantara, Kensington Palace and JWCC have been approached for comment.
