Felipe Buitrago

Colombian biologist protecting Amazon biodiversity through indigenous partnerships

Felipe Buitrago is a Colombian conservation biologist whose work with Amazonian indigenous communities has redefined rainforest preservation strategies. As director of the Amazon Bridge Foundation since 2020, he pioneered the Biocultural Corridors Program, creating protected wildlife corridors managed through traditional ecological knowledge. This initiative has safeguarded 2.3 million hectares of rainforest while improving livelihoods for 30+ indigenous groups.

Buitrago's 2022 breakthrough came with the PlantDNA project, a mobile app identifying medicinal plants using AI image recognition. Developed in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society, this tool now assists 12,000+ traditional healers in preserving ancestral knowledge. The app's database contains over 10,000 plant species, 60% of which are newly documented.

In 2023, Buitrago brokered an unprecedented partnership between multinational corporations and indigenous leaders, creating the Amazon Carbon Equity Fund. This innovative financing model ensures 70% of carbon credit revenues directly benefit local communities. The initiative has prevented deforestation in critical areas while funding eco-tourism projects that now generate $4.5 million annually for participating villages.

Buitrago's advocacy led to Colombia's 2024 Ley de Saberes Ancestrales, legally recognizing indigenous ecological practices as official conservation methods. His work was featured in the Netflix documentary Roots of the Rainforest (2023), which reached 20 million viewers. The Guardian named him 'Environmental Leader of the Year' in 2024 for bridging traditional and modern conservation approaches.