Adriana Vilas Boas

Brazilian environmental lawyer and activist who pioneered indigenous rights and rainforest conservation strategies in the Amazon

Adriana Vilas Boas has become a leading voice for Amazon preservation through her innovative legal strategies protecting indigenous territories. As founder of Instituto Socioambiental, she developed the 'Guardians of the Forest' program which trained over 5,000 indigenous leaders in legal advocacy between 2005-2020. Her landmark 2016 Supreme Court case secured permanent protection for the Yanomami territory - Brazil's largest indigenous reserve. Boas pioneered the use of satellite monitoring combined with traditional ecological knowledge to combat illegal logging, a model now replicated across the Amazon basin. Her book 《Amazônia Jurídica》 details how legal frameworks can protect both ecosystems and human rights. She co-created the Amazon Alert System, which uses real-time data to stop deforestation hotspots. Boas' work inspired the 2019 documentary 《Voices of the Forest》, highlighting her strategy of merging ancestral wisdom with modern technology. Her advocacy led to Brazil's 2020 Forest Code reforms, increasing protected areas by 12%. Today, she trains young lawyers through Global Environmental Lawyers Network, ensuring her legacy continues in defending Amazonian biodiversity.