Brigitte Baptiste

Brigitte Baptiste is a Colombian ecologist, academic, and one of Latin America’s most prominent voices in biodiversity conservation and environmental science. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Baptiste is widely known for her interdisciplinary approach to ecology, blending science, culture, and social justice. She has long advocated for sustainable development, the protection of Colombia’s rich biodiversity, and the integration of traditional and indigenous knowledge into conservation practices.

Throughout her career, Baptiste has emphasized the urgent need to protect Colombia’s extraordinary biological richness, as the country ranks among the most biodiverse in the world. As the former director of the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute, she led groundbreaking research and national biodiversity assessments and worked on shaping public policies to balance environmental conservation with economic development. Baptiste has promoted landscape management strategies that respect ecological boundaries and cultural values, advocating for participatory conservation models that involve indigenous, rural, and urban communities alike. Her work has not only contributed to safeguarding endangered species and ecosystems but has also helped frame biodiversity as an essential foundation for Colombia’s social and cultural identity, projecting her experience into IPBES and other global organizations.

Brigitte is also a trailblazing public figure as one of the most visible transgender women in Colombia’s academic and environmental sectors. She actively promotes diversity, inclusion, and gender equity, seeing them as essential components of environmental and social resilience. Now serving as the rector of EAN University in Bogotá, Baptiste continues to stand for a future where ecological and cultural diversity are both protected and celebrated, positioning her as an influential leader in both environmental science and human rights.