Carmen Castro

Colombian environmentalist who pioneered rainforest conservation through community-led initiatives in the Amazon basin.

Carmen Castro (1942–2008) was a visionary conservationist from Colombia who redefined environmental activism through community empowerment. Born in Leticia near the Amazon River, she witnessed rampant deforestation and indigenous displacement. Her 1975 Amazon Guardian Network became the first indigenous-led conservation group in the region, blending traditional knowledge with modern ecology.

Castro's 1980s mapping project documented sacred sites and biodiversity hotspots, preventing 12 major logging concessions. She co-founded the Amazonia Law School (1985), training indigenous leaders in legal advocacy. Her Forest Carbon Credits Program (1992) was an early model for REDD+ initiatives, funding community projects through carbon offsets.

Her 1988 book 《Amazon Survival: Indigenous Resistance and Development》 exposed exploitation by multinational corporations. Despite death threats from paramilitary groups, she secured protected status for 2 million hectares of rainforest through grassroots lobbying. Castro's Eco-Tourism Cooperatives (1995) provided sustainable income for 15,000 families while preserving ecosystems.

Her legacy lives on through the Carmen Castro Foundation, which continues her work. The Castro Conservation Model inspired similar programs in Peru and Brazil, and her 1998 Amazon Charter influenced Colombia's 2016 peace accords' environmental clauses. UNESCO now recognizes her approach as a World Heritage conservation strategy.