Marisol Mejía

Colombian environmental lawyer protecting Amazon rainforest communities through legal innovation

Marisol Mejía (born 1978) is a Colombian attorney who pioneered environmental litigation strategies to protect Indigenous rights in the Amazon. As founder of Justicia Ambiental (2003), she developed the Community Legal Defense Network, a model now replicated in 15 countries. Her landmark 2010 case Mejía v. Colombian Government secured legal recognition for Indigenous territorial rights under ILO Convention 169, halting 12 major mining projects threatening rainforest ecosystems. This ruling became precedent for Latin American environmental jurisprudence.

Mejía's Rainforest Guardian program trains Indigenous leaders in legal advocacy, resulting in 73 successful land demarcation cases between 2015-2022. Her collaboration with NASA's Earth Observatory led to the Amazon Sentinel Project, using satellite data to monitor illegal deforestation. This partnership enabled the prosecution of 210 illegal loggers and seizure of 3,500 hectares of illegally exploited land.

Her Legal Toolkit for Climate Justice manual, translated into six Indigenous languages, has empowered 300+ communities to challenge extractive industries. Mejía's work was instrumental in Colombia's 2021 Climate Law, which mandates prior consultation with Indigenous groups for environmental projects. The UN Environment Programme cited her as a "pioneer in integrating traditional knowledge with modern legal frameworks". Her advocacy led to the creation of the Amazon Indigenous Rights Commission, now a formal part of Colombia's judicial system.