Bruno Monteferri
Marañón River Waterkeeper
Provincia de Lima, Perú
Bruno Monteferri is a Waterkeeper Warrior.
The Marañón River is one of the most important water sources in Peru.
It starts in a glacier…high in the peaks of the Andes, then runs along the mountain range for miles before it meets the Ucayali River to form the mighty Amazon.
The upper basin of the Marañón is a world-class white-water rafting destination. Home to pristine beaches, gorgeous views, and beautiful blue-green waters.
It’s also the source of food and transportation for thousands of indigenous peoples and urban communities.
So it needs protection. Marañón River Waterkeeper Bruno Monteferri and his team are leading the fight against dams in the upper section of the river – together with civil society allies and local communities.
Our friends at Culture Trip met Bruno in Lonya Grande to learn more about the challenges facing this river.
Like so many of the waterways that Waterkeeper Alliance protects, the Marañón is threatened by pollution and infrastructure development.
But the biggest challenges the Marañon faces today are a proposal to build 20 mega-dams…and a massive dredging project that would affect the lives of thousands of indigenous peoples.
As an environmental lawyer and storied activist, Bruno is fighting these battles on every level. Working with his allies to be sure his waterway is protected. So far, no dams have been built. And the dredging project has not been passed.
Because the Marañon Waterkeeper team has one focus – to protect the Marañón River for generations to come.
Listen to Bruno’s story:
Photographed by © Tui Anandi, courtesy of Culture Trip, with story voiced by Cheryl Hines
About Bruno
Marañón River Waterkeeper Bruno Monteferri, in Lima, Peru, is an environmental lawyer and activist who holds an MPhil in conservation leadership from Cambridge University in the UK. He has been on the front lines of the resistance against a proposal to build 20 dams on the Marañón River, the main tributary of the Amazon River. To date, none of these large dams has been constructed, and Bruno’s efforts, as part of a broad-based opposition in the face of corporate corruption and political lobbying, has led to a moratorium on all dams until 2021. In 2013 Bruno received the prestigious Green Talents award from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In collaboration with the National Surfing Federation, he was able to pass the first law in the world focused on the protection of waves.
Waterkeeper Magazine
Learn more about Bruno in the two-part 20th Anniversary edition of Waterkeeper Magazine.
Return to the full Waterkeeper Warriors gallery.
Waterkeeper Warriors is a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Waterkeeper Alliance, presented in partnership with Culture Trip. Inspired to join our Warriors in protecting the world’s waterways? Donate now.
Special thanks to Creative Producer Kathryn MacLeod, our partners at Wild Woods Picture & Sound, and our friends at Sonic Union and Sound Lounge.