Francis von Hildebrand is the president of Gaia Amazonas (Fundación Gaia Amazonas). Gaia Amazonas is a Colombian NGO whose mission is to protect the Amazon, biocultural diversity, and socio-environmental resilience by actively partnering and collaborating with indigenous peoples’ processes and organizations.
He is a professional in International Relations and Development Studies, with a master’s degree in local development strategies, governance and intercultural environmental management; and with a strong emphasis on research and community participation.
Francisco has led Gaia Amazonas as its Director and CEO since 2012 and previously worked for a decade in the organization as a researcher advancing development and conservation projects in Amazonia with indigenous communities in Colombia and transfrontier projects.
He leads an inter-disciplinary team in Gaia Amazonas of more than 50 persons that has been instrumental in the official recognition of indigenous territorial titles in Amazonia by the Colombian government of what is the largest indigenous territory in the world (24 million hectares), and the team has also been leaders in the design, establishment and advancement of primary education, basic health services, and indigenous food systems with amerindian communities of the Colombian Amazon.
