Danna Paola Quintero

Colombian environmental scientist leading reforestation in biodiversity hotspots

Danna Paola Quintero is a 29-year-old Colombian ecologist whose Bosques que Cura initiative has planted over 3 million native trees in Colombia's Amazon basin and Andean cloud forests since 2020. Her scientifically rigorous approach combines traditional indigenous knowledge with satellite monitoring to create self-sustaining ecosystems. The project's unique '3D Reforestation' method prioritizes biodiversity corridors that connect fragmented habitats.

Quintero's work gained international recognition after her 2021 report revealed how tree-planting initiatives often fail due to monoculture practices. Her team's collaboration with Wayuu and Emberá communities has revived ancestral agroforestry techniques while creating 1,500 green jobs. In 2023, she launched the Amazonia Carbon Bank, a blockchain-based system tracking carbon sequestration metrics for corporate offset programs.

Her research on soil microbiome recovery has been adopted by the Colombian government's post-conflict reforestation programs. Quintero's TED Talk "Rebuilding Forests, Rebuilding Communities" inspired similar projects in Peru and Ecuador. Recent partnerships with NASA include satellite data analysis for drought-resistant species selection.