Indira Huacjiruna

A Quechua environmental leader who defended Amazonian forests and secured indigenous land rights in Peru.

Indira Huacjiruna (1925–2015) was an Amazonian activist whose grassroots campaigns halted destructive logging projects threatening Peruvian rainforests. As a member of the Quechua community, she witnessed the 1950s rubber boom's devastation and organized riverine communities to block illegal loggers. Her 1970s protests against the Inter-Oceanic Highway expansion helped establish Peru's first indigenous land titles under Law 27691.

Huacjiruna co-founded the Federación Nativa de Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes (FENAMAD), which trained over 500 indigenous leaders in sustainable practices. Her 1985 Amazon Watch collaboration brought global attention to deforestation. Despite facing death threats, she pioneered eco-tourism initiatives that now support 12,000 families. The UNESCO recognized her work in 2005, and her strategies influenced Brazil's Rainforest Alliance programs. Her memoir Indira's Voice: An Amazon Defender's Journey remains a key text in environmental justice studies.