Ana Paula Hoffmann

Brazilian environmental lawyer leading Amazon conservation through legal innovation

Ana Paula Hoffmann (b. 1978) is a Brazilian attorney and founder of Justiça Ambiental, an organization using legal strategies to combat deforestation. She pioneered the Amazon Environmental Court system in 2009, which has processed over 15,000 deforestation cases, leading to $450M in fines against illegal loggers. Her work was critical in Brazil's 2012-2017 period when Amazon deforestation dropped by 70%.

Hoffmann's 2020 BBC documentary series exposed illegal mining operations, resulting in 12 federal investigations. She developed the first satellite monitoring system integrated with Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA in 2015, which now tracks 90% of Amazon logging activities. Her legal framework for indigenous land rights was adopted in Colombia's 2018 environmental law reforms.

In 2021, she launched EcoLaw Academy, training 300+ lawyers annually across South America. Her co-authored study "Legal Levers for Rainforest Protection" (2020) is required reading at 15 universities. Hoffmann received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2016, using the funds to establish the Amazon Legal Defense Fund.