Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Ph.D. chemical biologist, conservation leader and National Geographic Explorer leading the global movement protecting wild pollinators and the Amazon. Raised between the Peruvian Andes and the rainforest, she bridges cutting-edge science with ancestral knowledge to drive real-world environmental change.

Her work has achieved the world’s first legal recognition of an insect’s rights, inspired national and local conservation laws, increased the value of native honey by over 500%, and helped launch new models for positive nature-based economies across Indigenous territories.

Rosa is the Founder and Executive Director of Amazon Research Internacional, working across the Amazon basin to protect biodiversity, empower communities and build climate resilience. Her leadership has been recognised by BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women (2024), the UNESCO–Al Fozan Prize for Young Scientists, Peru’s Order of Merit - the nation’s highest civilian honour, and the New Explorer Award from The Explorers Club (2025).

Her work has been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, CBS News, National Geographic and People Magazine, and she has appeared in major international documentary projects with the BBC, ARTE, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and Disney. She has collaborated with global brands and institutions including NASA, Boeing, PepsiCo, Garnier, and Sea-Doo, and has delivered keynote addresses and panel discussions across the UK (including University of Oxford and TEDx London Global Idea Search 2025), USA, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Peru and Colombia.

Rosa’s passion for exploration and conservation is reflected in her new book, “The Spirit of the Rainforest” (2025), which takes readers on an immersive journey through the Amazon, weaving together adventure, science, and the deep-rooted wisdom of indigenous cultures. The book will become available in Spanish in 2026.