Pacho Calle

Colombian environmentalist who pioneered citizen science to halt illegal mining in the Amazon basin

Francisco "Pacho" Calle's 2016 Radar Amazonia project transformed environmental protection through community-driven data collection. By training indigenous groups to use satellite mapping apps, he enabled real-time tracking of illegal mining activities, resulting in 34% fewer deforestation incidents in Colombia's Amazon region by 2020.

His 2018 "Rainforest Guardian Network" connected over 500 local leaders via encrypted communication systems, creating the first pan-Amazonian environmental intelligence network. This initiative led to the 2019 arrest of major illegal gold mining cartels, as documented in National Geographic's investigative report.

Calle's 2020 book 《Citizen Science: Defending the Amazon》 became a blueprint for similar projects in the Congo Basin and Indonesian rainforests. He received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2021, with his methods now adopted by the Brazilian government's environmental enforcement agency. His work is featured in "The Guardians of Green", a 2022 documentary by Netflix.