Fanor Mulcué, an
Indigenous Nasa leader
in southern Colombia,
contemplates an
Espeletia plant native
to the Andean plateau.
Key to the creation
of freshwater reserves
in the highlands, many
species are endangered
because of encroaching
mining and agricultural
activities.PREVIOUS PHOTO
Ati Quigua performs a
ritual to protect a river
in the Sierra Nevada de
Santa Marta mountains
in northern Colombia’s
Cesar Department. An
Indigenous Arhuaco
environmentalist and
politician, she has
protested mining and
large-scale development
that threaten natural
resources in the Sierra
Nevada, a UNESCO
biosphere reserve.
Indigenous
leaders,
teachers,
farmers, and
others have
been targeted
after speaking
up against
damage to
their lands
and culture.