Camila Zepeda

Led grassroots environmental campaigns in Chile to protect ecosystems from mining projects, influencing national policy changes

Camila Zepeda is a Chilean environmental lawyer and activist whose 2021 campaign to protect the Elqui Valley's water resources became a catalyst for national environmental reforms. After discovering that 70% of water rights in northern Chile were controlled by mining companies, she organized the 'Defendamos Elqui' movement that mobilized 50,000+ citizens through social media and community assemblies. Her legal team successfully challenged the H2O Mining Project, resulting in a landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling requiring prior community consent for water usage changes.

Zepeda's methodology combines legal advocacy with cultural preservation, as seen in her documentary highlighting how indigenous Diaguita communities use ancestral irrigation systems. Her coalition's work contributed to Chile's 2023 Water Code Reform, which now requires 30% of water reserves to be protected for ecological needs. The Greenpeace Chile partnership has expanded her approach to the Atacama Desert region, where similar campaigns are safeguarding lithium mining areas critical for global battery supply chains. Her TED Talk "Water is Life: Lessons from Chile's Frontlines" has been translated into 8 languages.