Carmen Soto

Colombian environmental lawyer protecting Amazon biodiversity through legal advocacy

Carmen Soto's Amazon Defense

Carmen Soto (b. 1985) is a Colombian attorney who created Amazon Law Collective in 2021. Her legal strategies have successfully halted 14 major mining projects threatening indigenous territories. In 2023, she secured a landmark ruling recognizing rivers as legal entities under Colombian law.

Working with Amazon Watch, she developed the Biocultural Mapping Program to document ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants. Her Defender Network trains 300+ activists annually. Featured in National Geographic's 2024 'Heroes of the Earth' series, her work influences global environmental jurisprudence.