Yifat Susskind

A Colombian environmental advocate who pioneered community-based reforestation strategies in the Amazon basin, impacting over 500,000 hectares of forest recovery.

Yifat Susskind is a leading environmentalist from Colombia whose innovative approach to rainforest conservation has made significant impacts in the Amazon region. As founder of Bosques por la Vida (Forests for Life), she developed the 'Community Reforestation Model' that empowers local indigenous groups to manage their own reforestation projects. This model has successfully regenerated over 500,000 hectares of degraded forest areas in Colombia and Peru since its launch in 2016.

Her methodology combines traditional ecological knowledge with modern agroforestry techniques, creating sustainable livelihoods for 12,000+ families through carbon credit programs and eco-tourism ventures. The initiative's Forest Cooperatives model has become a blueprint for community-led conservation, achieving 90% survival rates for planted trees compared to traditional methods.

Susskind's work gained international recognition when the UNDP adopted her model for their Amazon Region Protected Areas program. She also pioneered the use of blockchain technology for transparent carbon credit tracking through her Blockchain Forests project, ensuring equitable revenue distribution to participating communities. Recent innovations include drone-assisted planting systems that increased reforestation efficiency by 40% in remote areas.