About Adam Gebb
Adam Gebb is a conservation strategist and environmental leader dedicated to solving landscape connectivity challenges in collaboration with Indigenous and rural communities. As the Executive Director of the Andes Amazon Conservancy, he works closely with Indigenous nations in Ecuador to protect critical wildlife migration corridors between the Andes and the Amazon. With over 30 years of experience in wildlands conservation, Adam has led extensive wildlife migration / biocorridor studies and developed innovative strategies to maintain ecological integrity while supporting local communities.
Early Life and Education
Adam Gebb was born and raised in New York City and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on International Marketing from Northeastern University in Boston. However, his passion for environmental conservation led him down a different path. In 1989, he pursued further studies in ethno-ecology and tropical ecology at San Francisco State University, which took him to Northern Thailand. He gained firsthand insight into tropical ecosystems and the deep connections between Indigenous communities and their environments.
While in Thailand, Adam witnessed the disconnect between government-led conservation efforts and the needs of local communities. This pivotal experience reshaped his approach to conservation, reinforcing his belief that lasting environmental solutions must be built in partnership with the Indigenous people who have stewarded these landscapes for generations. This realization has since guided his work, focusing on collaborative conservation strategies that empower local communities while maintaining the evolutionary processes that create tomorrow’s biodiversity.
Moving to the Andes and Amazon
In 2018, Adam took a bold step toward his conservation vision by moving to Ecuador and founding the Andes Amazon Conservancy. The organization partners with Indigenous nations—including the Shuar, Kichwa, Shiwiar, and Sapara—to protect some of the world’s most biodiverse rainforests while promoting sustainable development. As Executive Director, Adam is leading efforts to establish a 300-kilometer wildlife migration corridor reconnecting the Amazon rainforest with the Andes Mountains.
His work centers on landscape connectivity—the principle that wildlife needs conservation networks to migrate freely between resource areas and habitats, ensuring access to all their lifecycle needs. This approach is critical in the Amazon, where road construction and deforestation are causing habitat fragmentation and ecosystem collapse. By providing a platform for Indigenous-led conservation land use planning, the wisdom of generations of human communities in the rainforest is channeled into innovative strategies surpassing conventional science.
A Focus on Food Sovereignty and Sustainable Land Use
Food sovereignty is a central pillar of Adam’s conservation work in Ecuador. In many Indigenous territories, newly constructed roads and deforestation have led to severe ecological degradation and the loss of traditional food sources. To address this, Adam collaborates with local leaders to develop conservation land use plans that integrate sustainable agriculture and edible forests into broader environmental protection strategies. His ultimate goal is to establish interconnected wildlife migration and human food sovereignty networks, ensuring that people and ecosystems can thrive.
One of Adam’s key achievements is his leadership in the Edible Forest Program, which reconnects fragmented rainforests by planting highly diverse forest corridors with native fruit, nut, and edible palm trees. This initiative tackles two critical challenges: biodiversity conservation and human food security. By restoring ecological connectivity and increasing access to nutritious, locally sourced food, the program empowers Indigenous communities while protecting the Amazon’s delicate ecosystems.
Research and Advocacy
Over the last 30 years, Adam Gebb has directed environmental studies and advocacy efforts.
His research in the Ecuadorian Amazon has provided insights into the movement of entire forest communities and how to mitigate the ecological impacts of deforestation and development. Through his work, Adam has documented the importance of wildlife migration networks and their essential role in maintaining biodiversity. His findings have been shared with local and international conservation organizations, shaping conservation policies in the Andes Amazon region.
The Earthshot Prize Nomination
In 2024, Adam’s work was nominated for the Earthshot Prize, which recognizes innovative solutions to environmental challenges. This nomination highlighted the success of Andes Amazon Conservancy’s Indigenous-led conservation initiatives and the organization’s efforts in sustainable land-use plans that balance the needs of rising human populations and biodiversity conservation.
The Earthshot Prize nomination also highlighted the Conservancy’s work in integrating wildlife migration networks with human food sovereignty planning, a model that needs to be replicated worldwide.
Personal Interests and Outdoor Adventures
Outside of his professional work, Adam is an outdoor enthusiast. He has spent over 40 years exploring wilderness areas worldwide, guiding backpacking, kayaking, and backcountry skiing expeditions. His knowledge of wildlife tracking and migration, sustainable forestry, and map-making has proven invaluable in his conservation work. His knowledge of temperate and subtropical ecology and his skills in backcountry navigation have helped him identify areas of high conservation value in large landscapes. Adam also enjoys sailing and organic gardening.
