Constanza Prieto Figelist
Constanza is a lawyer and leading expert on the Rights of Nature, with a focus on the protection of rivers and marine ecosystems across the Americas. She is the founder and director of the Latin America Legal Program at Earth Law Center, currently leading legislative and judicial projects in over five countries in the region.
Constanza specializes in drafting ecocentric laws and advising local organizations, governments, and decision-makers on legislative reforms. She has played a key role in successful initiatives recognizing the Rights of Nature, including the 2024 recognition of the Marañón River in Peru, Panama’s Laws No. 287 and No. 371 protecting Nature and sea turtles, the constitutional reform in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Chile’s “15,000 Hearts for the Earth” campaign. Her work is centered on building an autonomous legal framework for the Rights of Nature, developing legal tools that link ecological protection with climate action.
Constanza is also a member of the UN Harmony with Nature expert group and serves as the Earth Law Center’s focal point for the UN Environment Programme. In 2022, she was recognized by International Rivers as one of the most outstanding Women River Defenders.