Camila Quiroga

Environmental activist stopping destructive hydro projects in Chile

Camila Quiroga is a Mapuche environmental lawyer who led a landmark legal battle against the HidroAysén dam project in Patagonia, Chile. Her 2020 Supreme Court victory halted construction of five dams threatening the region's unique ecosystems, setting a precedent for indigenous rights in environmental cases. This case inspired similar movements across Latin America, including the 2022 cancellation of Brazil's São Luiz do Tapajós dam.

As founder of Wilderness Defenders, Camila combines legal strategies with grassroots organizing. Her organization trained over 200 indigenous leaders in environmental law between 2021-2023. A key innovation was developing the Mapuche Carbon Protocol, a methodology to quantify forest preservation's climate impact using traditional ecological knowledge.

In 2023, Camila became the youngest recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, often called the 'Green Nobel.' She now focuses on climate reparations for indigenous communities affected by fossil fuel projects. Her TEDx talk "The Law of the Land" has become a core text in environmental justice courses globally.