Rosa María Ruiz

Peruvian environmentalist who led grassroots movements to protect Amazonian biodiversity and indigenous rights

Rosa María Ruiz (b. 1972) is a Peruvian biologist and community organizer whose decades-long activism has safeguarded vast Amazonian territories from deforestation and mining. As founder of Amazon Guardians Network, she developed innovative participatory mapping techniques with indigenous communities to document ancestral lands, resulting in the protection of 2.3 million hectares by 2015. Her National Geographic-supported project trained 800+ indigenous leaders in environmental monitoring, creating a network of 450+ community conservation committees. Ruiz pioneered the Amazon Carbon Credit Initiative, which channels carbon offset funds directly to indigenous communities, generating $12 million in sustainable revenue since 2008. Her legal advocacy led to Peru's 2012 Law 30187, requiring prior consultation with indigenous groups for all extractive projects on their territories. Ruiz's documentary series 'Voices of the Forest' has educated millions on Amazonian ecology through 15 languages. Her most recent campaign, Amazon Water Guardians, has restored 150 km of polluted rivers using community-led bioremediation techniques. A recipient of the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize, her work inspired similar initiatives in Colombia and Brazil. Over 30 scientific papers co-authored with indigenous researchers have been published in journals like Ecological Applications, demonstrating her commitment to combining traditional knowledge with modern science.