Through meticulously detailed drawings of the Colombian Amazon, Abel Rodríguez preserves the indigenous knowledge of the region’s flora and fauna. The ecological wisdom documented in his works was passed down to him from his adopted Muinane elders, as well as the tribe of his birth, the Nonuya. He was first recognized for his expertise in the ecology of the Amazon in the 1980s, when he was tapped to help guide scientific expeditions throughout the decade; he worked with the Dutch conservationist group Tropenbos International, among others. When Rodríguez’s community was displaced by environmental devastation and political turmoil in the ’90s, Tropenbos asked him to translate his knowledge into drawings. A self-taught artist, Rodríguez imbues his landscapes with the most intricate care, fastidiously rendering each leaf in his dense tree canopies or on his lush forest floors, so that every living thing is distinct and accounted for. As climate change and violence continue to devastate the area, his drawings are among the most comprehensive records we have of a world that is quickly disappearing. Rodríguez is featured in The Artsy Vanguard 2020.