Martin Hildebrand (Gaia Amazonas) - 2009 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship

Martin Hildebrand (Gaia Amazonas) - 2009 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship

Martin von Hildebrand founded Fundación Gaia Amazonas in 1990 to encourage the Amazons indigenous peoples to manage their territories sustainably and conserve the cultural and biological diversity of the northwest Amazon region. After living with indigenous communities in the 1970s, Martin worked within the Colombian government to guide an unprecedented move in 1987 of handing back 50 million acres of Amazon rainforest to indigenous inhabitants. In Colombia today, largely due to Martins vision and leadership, nearly 62 million acres of Amazon rainforest are in the hands of indigenous peoples, who hold the rights to their lands, manage their own education and health programs, and design and implement environmental management plans.

For more information on these and other social entrepreneurs visit www.skollfoundation.org

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Nonprofits & Activism

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