The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) proudly recognizes Nathaly Yépez as this month’s Outstanding Member of the Month for her commitment to defending the Rights of Nature and the communities that protect it in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
A lawyer based in Quito, Ecuador, Nathaly has dedicated her career to advancing human, collective, and environmental rights, particularly alongside Indigenous peoples in the Amazon.
Currently serving as a legal advisor with Amazon Watch, Nathaly supports Indigenous leaders and communities facing the expansion of oil and mining projects in their territories. She has played a key role in emblematic cases such as the Dulcepamba River, where communities successfully defended their rights against harmful infrastructure impacts. Her advocacy includes national efforts to protect Yasuní National Park and the Chocó Andino, two of Ecuador’s most biodiverse regions.
Nathaly has also contributed to the global Rights of Nature movement as a Earth Prosecutor at the International Rights of Nature Tribunal, helping bring visibility and ethical accountability to cases of ecological harm.
Reflecting on her journey, Nathaly shares:
“Being part of GARN is a joy, an opportunity, and a challenge… it allows us to imagine and build another way of relating to Nature, one grounded in respect, reciprocity, and collective action.”
GARN celebrates Nathaly Yépez for her tireless defense of life, her commitment to justice, and her role in advancing a world where Nature is recognized as a subject of rights.
