María Fernanda Mejía

Colombian environmental engineer leading rainforest conservation through community tech initiatives

About María Fernanda Mejía

María Fernanda Mejía is a Colombian environmental engineer and founder of Guardianes del Bosque, an organization using technology to protect the Amazon rainforest. Born in Leticia (Amazonas department) in 1992, she developed an early passion for ecology through her father's work as a park ranger.

In 2022, Mejía launched the 'Rainforest Guardian Network', a system combining satellite monitoring with AI-powered deforestation detection. This platform alerts local communities and authorities within 2 hours of potential illegal logging activity. Over 200 indigenous communities now use this system, leading to a 40% reduction in deforestation in protected areas.

Her innovation earned the 2024 Global Tech for Nature Award and $250k from the Rainforest Foundation. María also created the 'EcoTech Academy', training over 500 young people in conservation technology since 2021. Her initiative to map traditional ecological knowledge using blockchain has been adopted by UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage program.

In 2023, she co-founded the Amazon Youth Council, a network of 12,000+ activists across 9 countries. María's work was featured in National Geographic's 2023 Environmental Heroes series. She recently testified before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) about technology's role in conservation.