Teresa Vincente Gimenez, Spain

Biography 

Walking the halls of Murcia University since 1998, this Professor's passion for justice extends far beyond theory. Her research in children's rights, legal feminism, and ecological justice isn't just academic—it's transformative. When Spain's Mar Menor lagoon faced ecological collapse, she championed Law 19/2022, securing unprecedented legal personhood for this natural treasure—a victory upheld by Spain's Constitutional Court. As Director of the Chair of Human Rights and Nature, she bridges scholarly research with real-world advocacy, carrying her message from NYU to the Sorbonne. Her legacy lives both in constitutional precedent and in the global movement for nature's rights she continues to inspire across continents.

Q. What personal experience has shaped or inspired your journey?

The direct contact with nature, especially with bodies of water. The satisfaction they brought me in my childhood and adolescence, and the sorrow caused by their progressive deterioration during my adulthood.

Also, my experience with the world of Law since I was a child (my father was a lawyer) and the realization that, beyond social justice, it was necessary to move towards ecological justice—one that recognizes the interaction between human beings and nature.
 

Q. Who is the influential figure who has inspired your actions, and what specifically about them has been motivating?

In the legal field, the most influential figure has been my father. In the ecological field, it was the professor of Ecology, Luis Ramírez, and in the field of Philosophy of Law, the professor Mariano Hurtado.

Along the way, many women and men have shared the urgency of a paradigm shift in the 21st century to protect the Earth and humanity.
 

Q. In your conservation efforts for wetlands, what key challenge did you face and how has this experience fueled your dedication to making a positive impact? 

In the 1980s, when I began studying Law, the greatest challenge I faced was the division of knowledge between social sciences and natural sciences. Later, I encountered resistance from many jurists and academics to embracing the transition from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism.

This pushed me to seek out people—both in the academic and legal fields, as well as those connected to nature—who would support the epistemological shift needed to unite social and natural sciences and understand that the rights of nature are an interdisciplinary and intercultural matter.
 

Q. As a woman who has made significant strides, where can you say investment is required to accelerate progress and empower women’s actions for wetlands?

Women are agents of change and must be involved in decision-making regarding wetlands and nature in general, on equal footing with men. Empowering women through training, education, and funding is essential to valuing their leadership and turning their ideas into reality.

Photo credits: Goldman Environmental Prize