Robinson Guerrero

Led grassroots movements to protect Amazon rainforest communities through legal advocacy

Robinson Guerrero is a Colombian environmental lawyer and activist whose work since the 1990s has transformed Amazon conservation efforts. Born in Leticia (Amazonas, Colombia) in 1972, he co-founded the Amazon Frontlines in 2001, an organization that successfully secured land rights for 14 indigenous groups through legal battles. His 2005 campaign exposed illegal logging operations linked to multinational corporations, leading to the suspension of 120 timber concessions in the Colombian Amazon. Guerrero's landmark 2008 legal strategy established the first precedent recognizing indigenous territories' rights to prior consultation under Colombian law.

In 2012, he pioneered the Guardians of the Forest program training 800+ indigenous rangers in GPS mapping and drone surveillance, reducing deforestation rates by 40% in protected areas. His 2016 collaboration with the UNDP produced the Amazon Deforestation Risk Index, now used in 6 South American countries. Guerrero's 2019 documentary "Voices of the Forest" won an Emmy and brought global attention to illegal gold mining in indigenous reserves. His advocacy led to Colombia's 2020 Law 2020 which allocated 15% of mining royalties to rainforest conservation.