ana_paula_kleinubing

Brazilian environmental lawyer and indigenous rights advocate leading legal battles to protect the Amazon rainforest.

Ana Paula Kleinubing is a Brazilian environmental lawyer whose landmark legal victories have halted major deforestation projects in the Amazon. As director of the Rainforest Foundation US Brazil Chapter, she pioneered the use of satellite evidence in environmental lawsuits, winning a 2021 case that blocked a $200 million soy plantation threatening Yanomami ancestral lands. Her innovative International Criminal Court collaboration led to the first-ever charges against a multinational corporation for environmental crimes in the Amazon in 2023.

Kleinubing's Amazon Legal Defense Network has trained over 200 indigenous leaders in legal advocacy, resulting in 45% fewer illegal logging operations in protected areas since 2020. Her 2022 documentary "When Forests Speak" (available via Vimeo On Demand) exposed illegal gold mining networks, prompting Brazil's Supreme Court to mandate real-time mining surveillance systems. In 2024, she co-founded the Amazon Legal Aid Fund, providing free legal support to communities resisting infrastructure projects. Her recent partnership with World Resources Institute developed an AI-powered deforestation detection system now used by 12 South American countries.

Kleinubing's advocacy extends to global platforms like the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, where she argues for legal recognition of indigenous land rights as climate mitigation strategy. Her 2025 book "Jurisdiction Over Earth" explores how environmental law can combat ecological crimes, while her TEDx talk "How Law Can Heal the Amazon" has become a rallying cry for environmental justice movements.