Indigenous Rights Champion Secures 26 Million Hectares of Amazon Forest
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📰 The quick summary: Ethnologist Martín von Hildebrand received the prestigious Thomas E. Lovejoy Prize for securing 26 million hectares of Indigenous territory in the Colombian Amazon, creating one of the world’s largest community-led conservation systems.
📈 One key stat: Von Hildebrand helped secure approximately 26 million hectares of Indigenous territory in Colombia, establishing one of the world’s largest and most effective community-led conservation systems.
💬 One key quote: “I have spent 50 years with the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon, speaking about land, laws, and their own governments or intercultural governments. I never fully understood their culture, nor did they mine, but we built trust, held hands, walked together and changed the history of the region.”
1️⃣ The big picture: Martín von Hildebrand has been announced as the second recipient of the Thomas E. Lovejoy Prize during New York’s climate week on September 23rd, 2025. The ethnologist and anthropologist earned this recognition for his five decades of work with Indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon, helping them secure rights and protect their forest. His efforts culminated in securing approximately 26 million hectares of Indigenous territory and establishing the Gaia Amazonas Foundation in 1990. Von Hildebrand’s work embodies the spirit of the late Thomas Lovejoy, known as the “godfather of biodiversity” and a passionate advocate for Amazon conservation.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: Indigenous communities now control and protect over 26 million hectares of Amazon forest thanks to von Hildebrand’s decades of dedication. His pioneering approach recognizes that Indigenous peoples, as original inhabitants, are the most knowledgeable and effective stewards of their land. The Andes-Amazon-Atlantic Corridor initiative he leads aims to establish the world’s largest ecological corridor spanning 135 million hectares. Indigenous-governed territories protect more than 27% of the Amazon, representing one of our most effective tools for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. This model of Indigenous-led conservation offers a powerful alternative to exploitative approaches that have failed to protect critical ecosystems.
3️⃣ What’s next: The Andes-Amazon-Atlantic Corridor initiative will continue working toward connecting vast regions of the Amazon with ecosystems in the Andes and Atlantic Ocean. Von Hildebrand’s Gaia Amazonas Foundation will keep supporting Indigenous-led conservation efforts throughout the region. The recognition from the Lovejoy Prize may help attract additional resources and attention to expand these successful conservation models.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Ethnologist Martín von Hildebrand awarded Lovejoy Prize for Amazon conservation
