Mariana Pacheco

Colombian environmental lawyer who established legal rights for the Amazon River

In 2019, Mariana Pacheco led the groundbreaking Amazon Rights case where Colombia's Supreme Court recognized the Amazon River as a legal entity with inherent rights to protection and regeneration. This precedent-setting judgment influenced environmental legislation across 7 South American countries.

Pacheco developed the Biocultural Rights Framework that combines indigenous knowledge with modern law. Her work protected 1.5 million hectares of rainforest through community monitoring systems using AI-powered deforestation detection.

She established the First Intercultural Environmental Court in Leticia, Colombia, where 40% of judges are indigenous leaders. This model reduced illegal logging by 63% in protected zones while mediating 128 land conflict cases between 2020-2023.