Meet Paul Rosolie: From Amazon explorer at 18 to protecting 160,000 acres of forest

When American naturalist and conservationist Paul Rosolie first travelled to the Peruvian Amazon at 18, he was drawn to one of the world's most extraordinary wildernesses. Two decades later, his work has evolved from exploring remote forests and studying wildlife into a long-term effort to protect the rainforest from illegal logging, road expansion and other threats. Working alongside Indigenous conservationist Juan Julio Durand and local communities, Rosolie helped establish Junglekeepers, a nonprofit focused on safeguarding the Las Piedras watershed in Peru's Madre de Dios region. The organisation now reports that its rangers safeguard almost 160,000 acres of rainforest. But with illegal activities and drug trafficking threatening the region, the team says its work is far from over.Paul Rosolie's journey from Amazon explorer to conservationistRosolie's connection with the Amazon began when he travelled to Peru as a teenager. Over the years, he explored remote parts of the rainforest, documented wildlife and became increasingly concerned about the destruction of habitats that had remained largely intact.One of the people who helped shape his conservation journey was Juan Julio Dur...