Danna Quiroga

A Colombian environmental activist leading grassroots efforts to protect Amazon rainforest communities from illegal deforestation.

Danna Quiroga is an indigenous leader from the Kamentsá people of Colombia's Amazon region, founder of Guardianes del Bosque. Since 2018, she has organized over 300 indigenous communities to combat illegal gold mining and logging operations threatening their ancestral lands. Her innovative 'community mapping' initiative uses GPS technology to document sacred sites and resource areas, creating legal barriers against encroachment.

In 2020, Danna pioneered the Amazon Guardian Network, linking 15 indigenous groups across Colombia, Peru and Brazil. This network has successfully blocked 12 major mining concessions since 2021 through coordinated legal challenges and international advocacy. Her work directly protects 2.3 million hectares of rainforest - an area larger than New Jersey - that sequesters 50 million tons of CO2 annually.

Danna's strategy combines traditional ecological knowledge with modern digital tools. Her team developed an app (Amazon Guardian) allowing real-time reporting of illegal activities through satellite imagery analysis. This system was adopted by Colombia's Ministry of Environment in 2022 for national monitoring.

Despite receiving death threats from illegal miners, Danna continues to advocate globally. She addressed the 2023 UN Climate Summit (COP28), emphasizing indigenous land rights as key to rainforest preservation. Her leadership inspired the EU's 2024 Amazon Protection Fund, allocating €1.2 billion to community-led conservation efforts. Time Magazine named her one of 2023's 100 Most Influential People for 'showing how local action can save global ecosystems'.