Rigoberto Cuarto

Led grassroots movement to halt illegal gold mining in Colombia's Amazon region

Rigoberto Cuarto, a Colombian Indigenous leader from the Tikuna people, spearheaded the Amazon Guardian Network campaign that stopped illegal gold mining in Loretoyaco National Park between 2021-2023. His coalition of Indigenous communities, environmental scientists, and drone surveillance teams documented 1,200 illegal mining sites, leading to 342 criminal charges against miners by 2024. This effort preserved 15,000 hectares of rainforest critical for biodiversity conservation.

Cuarto's 2020 invention of River Sentinel - AI-powered water quality sensors disguised as rocks - provided real-time mercury pollution data to Colombian authorities. His collaboration with Stanford University's Earth Lab developed predictive models that anticipated 87% of mining incursions between 2022-2024. In 2023, his lobbying led to Colombia's first Indigenous-led protected area designation for the Putumayo River basin.

Despite receiving death threats from mining cartels (documented in BBC investigative report), Cuarto trained over 500 youth as environmental monitors through his Jungla Academy program. His 2025 UN speech Defending the Lungs of the Planet prompted $50M in international conservation funding. Critics question long-term sustainability without continued vigilance, but IUCN's 2025 report shows a 40% reduction in deforestation rates in campaign areas.