Lena Estrada

Lena Yanina Estrada Añokazi is a Colombian political scientist, environmentalist, and Indigenous leader who served as
Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development from March to August 2025 under President Gustavo Petro. She also served as director of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Born in La Chorrera, Amazonas, Estrada is the first woman of Indigenous descent to serve as Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development. She studied political science at the National University of Colombia and later environmental sustainability at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.

Early life, education and family

Lena Yanina Estrada Añokazi was born in La Chorrera, Amazonas. She grew up in the Uitoto Minɨka Indigenous Community. Her mother, Felisa Añokazi, is an Indigenous educator and leader. After graduating from high school, she moved to Bogotá, D.C., where she studied Political Science at the National University of Colombia and later pursued a postgraduate degree in Environmental Sustainability at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Estrada also served as a professor at the National University of Colombia and as a research professor for UNESCO. Since 2010, she has led environmental and biodiversity issues, serving as an advisor during Olbar Andrade's term as Governor of Amazonas. Since 2022, she has represented Indigenous peoples at the United Nations Environment Programme.
Estrada ran for the Chamber of Representatives for the Amazonas region in the 2018 parliamentary election, receiving support from the Alternative Indigenous and Social Movement Party, a member of the Desency List, but was unsuccessful.