Adriana Marquisio

Argentinian environmental lawyer protecting Amazon rainforest communities

Adriana Marquisio is an Argentine environmental lawyer whose legal battles have safeguarded over 1 million hectares of Amazon rainforest. As founder of Abogados del Bosque (Lawyers of the Forest), she uses legal strategies to combat illegal logging and mining, representing indigenous communities in landmark cases. Her 2020 victory against the Minera San Rafael mining project halted deforestation of 80,000 hectares in the Chaco forest.

Marquisio pioneered the 'Legal Forest' program (2022), training 500 indigenous leaders in environmental law. Her work led to the creation of Argentina's first community-owned carbon credit program, allowing Guarani communities to monetize forest conservation. In 2023, she helped secure $15 million in international funding for forest guardianship through the Earth Justice partnership.

Her advocacy inspired Argentina's 2021 Forest Law reform, which doubled penalties for environmental crimes. Marquisio's TED Talk 'Defending the Lungs of the Planet' (2022) has become a key resource for environmental legal strategies. She recently launched the Rainforest Justice Network, connecting 15 Latin American countries in transnational environmental litigation.