Lina María Betancur

Colombian environmental lawyer leading legal battles against illegal gold mining in the Amazon

Lina María Betancur is an Indigenous rights attorney from Colombia's Amazon region, representing communities fighting illegal mining. As director of the Amazon Defense Front, she's secured landmark court rulings against multinational companies operating without permits. Her 2020 case against Canadian mining firm GoldCorp halted operations destroying ancestral territories of the Cubeo and Siona peoples.

She developed a legal strategy using Colombia's Prior Consultation Law to require Indigenous consent for extractive projects. This approach has blocked 14 mining projects since 2021, protecting 250,000 hectares of rainforest. Her team trains Indigenous monitors using satellite imagery and drones to document illegal activities, which they present as evidence in court.

In 2023, Betancur spearheaded the Amazon Justice Pact, a coalition of 12 Indigenous groups and NGOs. The initiative secured a historic injunction stopping all new mining concessions in the Colombian Amazon until environmental impact studies are completed. Her work has reduced mercury contamination in local rivers by 22%, earning her the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize.