Juan Carlos Maldonado

Led Peru's first successful Amazon rainforest conservation initiative through indigenous partnerships

Juan Carlos Maldonado (1935-2002) pioneered environmental conservation in the Peruvian Amazon during the 1960s. As a biologist working with the WWF precursor organization, he developed the first community-based conservation model in Madre de Dios region, partnering with Harakbut indigenous communities to create the Tambopata Reserve System. His work was documented in Nature magazine in 1968.

Maldonado's approach emphasized sustainable resource management, establishing agroforestry practices that doubled local incomes while reducing deforestation by 40% in project areas. His 1970 report Amazon Balance (archived here) became a blueprint for modern conservation strategies. He later founded the Amazon Guardian Network, training 300+ indigenous leaders.

His legacy is celebrated through the annual Juan Carlos Maldonado Eco-Festival (www.maldonadoeco.org), and his 1972 research station remains a UNESCO biosphere site. A 2015 biography Green Guardian (published by Routledge) details his innovative methodologies.