Ailton Krenak

Ailton Krenak was born in 1953 in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in the Rio Doce valley. He became involved in Brazil’s Indigenous movement and worked with the Aliança dos Povos da Floresta, an organization representing Indigenous and river communities. Krenak was a co-author of the UNESCO application that contributed to the establishment of the Serra do Espinhaço Biosphere Reserve in 2005. In 2016, he received Brazil’s Order of Cultural Merit. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Minas Gerais.