Isabella Cortes Lara
Isabella Cortes is a passionate conservationist and artist, born in the Andean mountains of Cauca, Colombia. She has a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and Conservation Ecology from West Virginia University. Presently, Isabella is the Director of Conservation for Women for Conservation, a non-profit that empowers women in rural communities around Key Biodiversity Areas. Also, she directs two nature reserves in northern Colombia.
Isabella has the great honor of a new species of hummingbird named after her, Eriocnemis isabellae listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered. As a muralist, she creates interactive art designed to educate people on the importance of endemic species and their conservation. Her main interests are reducing habitat loss, establishment of protected areas, saving endangered species, sexual education and establishing successful community engagement programs. She currently lives in the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Colombia. In her free time, she loves to dance, paint, run, travel and rock climb.