Rolando Silva Andrade is a human rights and environmental defender from the Agua Fría community in the Los Azufres region of Michoacán. He is known for sustained and important role in defending the forest, water, and land against illegal logging and land grabbing by organised crime actors pursuing economic interests. The Agua Fría community was established in the 1940s and since then, its members have advocated for the protection of the forest and natural resources. Rolando Silva Andrade plays a fundamental role in these efforts. As a healer, he draws on his special connection to the hot springs and sulphur springs deposits in the area, which form a central part of the community’s spiritual and social life.
Since the 1980s, Rolando Silva Andrade has been one of the main community leaders in Agua Fría. He has been part of organisational and coordination efforts in the community aimed at protecting the territory, preserve the forest, and denounce illegal logging and violent land grabbing. His heightened visibility, particularly from 2000 onwards, has led to risks of criminalisation, imprisonment, and threats due to to his work as an environmental defender and healer.
