Danna Paola Montoya

Colombian environmentalist leading reforestation efforts in the Amazon basin

Danna Paola Montoya is a 28-year-old Colombian biologist whose grassroots Raíces Amazónicas initiative has planted over 12 million trees in deforested areas of the Amazon since 2020. Working in collaboration with Indigenous communities, her approach combines traditional knowledge with drone-based reforestation techniques to achieve 92% survival rates - double the industry average.

Montoya's innovation lies in her community-centered model. Each tree-planting project requires local participation agreements where communities receive 30% of carbon credits generated. This has created 2,400+ sustainable jobs in regions previously reliant on illegal logging. Her Jaguar Guardians program trains ex-logger communities to protect endangered species, resulting in a 40% decline in poaching in project areas between 2022-2024.

In 2023, Montoya pioneered the Aquario Project, a network of floating seed banks preserving 1,500+ native Amazonian plant species. Her team's AI-powered seed dispersal drones have reforested 15,000+ hectares previously inaccessible to traditional methods. This work was featured in National Geographic's "Amazon Rebirth" documentary series.

Montoya's global impact includes mentoring 50+ similar initiatives across 12 countries through her Green Roots Academy. She developed the first Indigenous-led carbon credit protocol approved by the UN in 2024, creating new revenue streams for 18 Amazonian tribes. Her TED Talk "The Amazon's Secret to Survival" has garnered 1.8M views. In 2025, she was nominated for the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work protecting 12 endangered Indigenous languages through ecological knowledge preservation.