Carmen Capilla

Peruvian environmental scientist leading indigenous conservation efforts in the Amazon

About Carmen Capilla

Carmen Capilla is an award-winning environmental scientist from Peru whose work with the Yine indigenous community has redefined rainforest conservation strategies. Since 2012, she has developed participatory mapping techniques that combine traditional ecological knowledge with satellite technology, creating dynamic land-use plans adopted by 14 Amazonian communities. Her methods have prevented over 200,000 hectares of deforestation while maintaining biodiversity corridors.

Capilla's TEDx talk on 'Indigenous Innovation in Conservation' has over 2 million views. She co-founded the Amazonian Knowledge Network (2017), which now operates in collaboration with the UNDP and Google Earth Outreach. Her research shows that community-led conservation areas have 60% lower deforestation rates than government protected areas.

In 2021, her team pioneered the use of drones equipped with AI to monitor illegal logging, a system now used by 7 South American countries. Capilla's work was instrumental in Peru's 2020 Indigenous Protected Areas policy, which expanded communal land rights by 1.2 million hectares.