Andrés Gil

Colombian environmentalist leading rainforest conservation through indigenous partnerships

Andrés Gil has pioneered a new approach to Amazon conservation by collaborating with Indigenous communities since founding Guardianes del Bosque in 2020. His organization works with 12 Amazonian tribes to monitor illegal logging using drone technology and satellite imagery. This initiative has led to 340+ deforestation alerts and 45 successful legal actions against illegal operators.

A former Goldman Environmental Prize finalist, Gil developed the 'Biocultural Corridors' concept in 2022 - protected zones managed by Indigenous knowledge systems. These corridors now span 1.2 million hectares and host biodiversity monitoring programs with universities like Harvard and Lancaster.

His 2023 book 《The Forest's Memory》 explains how ancestral practices can combat climate change. The documentary 《Guardians of the Canopy》 (2024) showcases his work. Gil's partnership with the EU's Horizon 2024 program funds youth training centers in sustainable agroforestry. His TED article here summarizes his vision.