Felipe_Montoya

Led Colombia’s grassroots movement to halt illegal mining and protect Amazon biodiversity.

Felipe Montoya is a Colombian environmental activist and Indigenous rights advocate who mobilized communities to combat illegal gold mining in the Amazon basin. Starting in 2021, Montoya organized the Guardianes del Amazonas coalition, uniting over 50 Indigenous tribes to document mining violations using drone technology. His 2022 investigative report “Blood Gold: The Amazon’s Silent Crisis” exposed mercury pollution affecting 200,000+ residents. Montoya’s lobbying efforts resulted in Colombia’s 2023 ban on artisanal gold mining in protected zones. In 2024, he launched EcoAmazon University, offering free environmental science courses to Indigenous youth. His TEDx talk “Protecting the Amazon from the Sky,” showcases drone-based conservation strategies. Montoya also co-founded Rainforest Voices, a podcast amplifying Indigenous climate narratives. His work inspired the 2025 Netflix documentary “The Guardians”, which tracked his team’s efforts to rescue trafficked wildlife. Despite death threats from mining cartels, Montoya remains a vocal advocate for planetary boundaries, recently testifying at the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow.