Claudia Vega

Claudia Vega is a rainforest toxicologist on a mission to expose and mitigate the hidden dangers of mercury contamination in the Amazon. As the founding mercury research director at the Centro de Innovación Científica Amazónica (CINCIA)—a young nonprofit conservation science center based in Puerto Maldonado, in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon and the largest illegal gold mining region in South America—she built a world-class laboratory and research program from scratch, revealing how unregulated gold mining poisons both wildlife and indigenous communities. By partnering with miners, healthcare workers, and policy makers, Claudia transforms cutting-edge science into tangible solutions that protect these critical ecosystems. A member of the UN Minamata Convention’s Open-Ended Scientific Group, she amplifies the Amazon’s urgent call for global attention. Through pioneering research and relentless advocacy, Claudia strives to safeguard one of Earth’s most vital regions—and the people who call it home.