Monica Rodriguez

A Colombian environmental lawyer who pioneered legal frameworks to protect Indigenous land rights and biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest.

Monica Rodriguez is a Colombian attorney and founder of Justicia Ambiental, an organization that defends Indigenous land rights through groundbreaking litigation. Born in 1988 to an Indigenous family in the Amazonas department, Rodriguez witnessed illegal mining and deforestation encroaching on ancestral territories. After earning a law degree from Universidad de los Andes and a master’s in environmental law from Stanford University, she returned to Colombia to advocate for Indigenous legal autonomy. In 2013, she secured a landmark ruling in the Colombian Constitutional Court (Case T-622/16) requiring prior consultation with Indigenous groups before approving resource extraction projects on their lands. This decision halted over 30 mining projects and set a precedent for Indigenous rights across Latin America.

Rodriguez’s work intertwines legal strategy with grassroots mobilization. She trained 150 Indigenous leaders in legal advocacy and co-created the Amazon Legal Defense Map, a digital tool tracking deforestation and corporate violations. Her 2019 book 《The Amazon Speaks: Legal Strategies for Survival》 details how customary law can complement national legal systems. Despite death threats from illegal miners, Rodriguez expanded her efforts to Brazil and Peru, collaborating with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM). In 2022, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize, often called the "Green Nobel." Critics argue her approach prioritizes Indigenous sovereignty over economic development, but supporters highlight that 80% of Amazon deforestation occurs outside protected Indigenous territories—a testament to their ecological stewardship. Rodriguez’s legacy includes training the next generation of Indigenous lawyers through the Amazon Legal Fellows Program, ensuring her vision continues beyond her career.