Astrid Puentes’s journey from Bogotá to the UN is shaped by a deep awareness of how environmental harm often mirrors social injustice. Early in her legal career, she confronted cases where pollution and exclusion disproportionately affected Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and rural communities in Colombia.

As the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment, Puentes champions a rights-based approach to conservation. She urges the global community to recognize marginalized communities not as victims, but as essential leaders with solutions to the biodiversity and climate crises.

Puentes calls for a shift from fragmented environmental action to a holistic, justice-centered vision. For her, protecting ecosystems means addressing systemic inequalities and listening to the lived expertise of those most affected by environmental degradation.

Puentes spoke with Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler in May 2025. See All Key Ideas

The story of Astrid Puentes Riaño is rooted in the soil of Colombia. Born in Bogotá to a family with campesino roots, her early memories are of mountain air, clean water, and the quiet freedom of rural landscapes.

“Being outside gave me the freedom and thus happiness that I could not have in the city,” she recalls.

But her journey—from a child inhaling the crisp air of the Llanos to a leading global voice for environmental justice—was shaped not only by landscapes, but by injustice.

While still in law school, Puentes began working with Fundepúblico, a Colombian NGO. She dove into cases that revealed the deep and often invisible intersection of environmental harm and human rights abuse: Afro-descendant communities sickened by toxic spills; schools menaced by the unsafe dumping of industrial waste; campesino and Indigenous communities excluded from decisions that directly impacted their lands and livelihoods. In each case, it became clear: environmental harm disproportionately affects the marginalized.

Just as revealing were the blind spots of mainstream conservation efforts.

“Many of the environmental conservation work in Colombia was done from a very northern and western perspective, with top-down actions, that while intending to conserve some areas, were excluding many of the people that either lived in these areas, and even helped to conserve them,” she says.

That insight would shape the rest of her career—both as a litigator and as an advocate—working to ensure that environmental protection doesn’t come at the expense of human dignity, but rather begins with it.

Her first major case, the US-funded aerial spraying program in Colombia’s forests, left a deep impression. The herbicides rained down on areas of extraordinary biodiversity—from the Amazon to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta—and on communities that had little say in the matter.

“Several Indigenous Peoples and campesinos were being impacted,” she says. “However, when the spraying was going to be done in National Parks, then it was when hundreds or thousands of people reacted and actively got involved to protect the parks. That was a crucial moment for me, to see how much environmental protection also needs a justice and human rights approach.”

Why, she wondered, did people seem to care more about the fate of forests than the health of the children who lived in them?

This realization—that the health of ecosystems and the rights of people are inseparable—led Puentes to the field of international environmental law. In the late 1990s, she encountered AIDA, a fledgling regional legal organization, and began to see that Colombia’s struggles were mirrored across the Americas. From defending sea turtles in Costa Rica and Mexico to seeking justice for lead-poisoned children in Peru, she saw the transformative power of international law to pressure governments and companies when national institutions failed.

Now, as the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment—the first woman and Global South representative to hold the mandate—Puentes brings decades of lived and legal experience to one of the world’s most urgent crises.

Her vision is sweeping, but grounded in the practical. She aims to elevate the voices and expertise of Indigenous Peoples, rural communities, children, and other often-overlooked groups—not as victims, but as leaders.

“I am prioritizing the understanding of what an intersectional and diverse perspective is, in relation to the right to a healthy environment,” she explains. “Evidencing the risks and the impact, though not only that, but also identifying solutions and proposals that these marginalized communities are already implementing.”

Her goal is to help the international community stop seeing these groups as passive recipients of policy and start recognizing their knowledge as indispensable.

“Moving from a vision of victims to evidence and contribute to strengthen the voices and participation of knowledge and expertise that until today, has been ignored, and that it desperately needed to advance solutions for the triple planetary crises,” she says.

She also wants to clarify the legal responsibilities of both states and private actors. Conservation efforts, she warns, risk replicating the very power imbalances they seek to correct if they fail to take human rights into account.

“The biggest challenge in relation with conservation is that some private actors involved in these efforts, including civil society organizations, foundations, companies, financial actors, among others, are still not aware of their obligations regarding respecting human rights,” she says. “International law is not being considered… [private actors] have the obligation to respect human rights.”

The Core Human Rights Principles for Private Conservation, she hopes, will help fill that gap.

At the heart of Puentes’s work is a call for a more holistic understanding of the environment—not as a collection of discrete resources, but as an interconnected system on which all human life depends. Her second report to the UN Human Rights Council, which links ocean health and human rights, is a case in point. She warns that protecting a coral reef while ignoring oil drilling and overfishing elsewhere in the same ocean is short-sighted.

“Protecting the ocean is fundamental, and to do it, we need to understand that the ocean is one single connected biome,” she says. “Therefore, conserving a marine area because of its biodiversity, without considering the impacts from continued increasing offshore oil and gas, and overfishing, is an incomplete view. We need to understand that overall protection requires a comprehensive approach, that includes the drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution, and how these are connected, and implement actions that address these complexities.”

This interconnection is not just ecological, but generational.

“Being a mom,” she says, “exponentially increased my awareness and commitment to do everything that I possibly can to make sure that my kids, and all children everywhere can breathe clean air, play outdoors, and enjoying thriving ecosystems and a safe climate.”

It is also a call to reimagine humanity’s relationship with the planet.

“The Earth does not need to be saved by us,” she tells young professionals. “The Earth is stronger and wiser than we are. Our role is to understand how we, as human beings, can better live on the planet, how we can thrive without destroying the planet.”

In an era of escalating climate impacts, her work is a reminder that the right to a healthy environment is not a luxury or an abstract ideal. It is a foundation for everything else: life, dignity, and justice. Her voice—rooted in the soil of rural Colombia and resonating across the halls of Geneva and New York—carries a clear conviction that true environmental protection begins not with fences or carbon credits, but with fairness.

An interview with Astrid Puentes Riaño

What initially inspired you to pursue a career at the intersection of human rights and environmental law, and how has your perspective evolved over time?

My heritage, I was born and raised in Colombia, and my grandparents where campesinos, from small towns and very connected with their land. While I grew in a city, in Bogotá, I was also very fortunate the grow up close to nature, and my parents would always take us to rural areas, including in the mountains close to Bogota, and in the Llanos, the Orinoquia in Colombia. This taught and exposed me the wonders of nature, how much we are connected with her. I learned the delight to breath clean air, the importance of taking care of water bodies and the soil, and where much of our food was coming from. Also, as a little girl, being outside gave me the freedom and thus happiness that I could not have in the city.

Still in law school I started interning in Fundepúblico, an NGO in Colombia, where I helped lawyers researching environmental cases, from Afro-descendant communities impacted by toxic spills, to protecting key areas threat by developments, or schools in rural communities threaten by inadequate disposal of toxic substances. Early on I learned that many of these cases were about protecting the environment and working with and supporting people that lived in these areas. In all these situations, and the more severe of them, marginalized people where the most impacted.

I also realized that many of the environmental conservation work in Colombia was done from a very northern and western perspective, with top-down actions, that while intending to conserve some areas, were excluding many of the people that either lived in these areas, and even helped to conserve them. Then when I started working in the region and internationally, I realized it also happened in many cases.

For example, the first case in which I worked was regarding the environmental and human rights impacts of the aerial spraying program that Colombia, funded by the US government, was implementing. This included massive spraying in many environmental important regions, including in the Amazon, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and many other tropical and other forests. Several Indigenous Peoples and campesinos were being impacted, and some people in the cities were supporting their rights. However, when the spraying was going to be done in National Parks, then it was when hundreds or thousands of people reacted and actively got involved to protect the parks. That was a crucial moment for me, to see how much environmental protection also needs a justice and human rights approach. As people, for many reasons, were caring more for the National Parks, than the health of communities in these areas, including children that were mostly impacted by the sprayings.

Being Colombian and knowing many of the reality of urban and rural areas in my country helped me to understand the richness of our diversity, including the knowledge and close relationship that people had with the land. These helped me understand that protecting the environment was not only a matter of conservation and nature separated from humans, but on the importance of also incorporating a justice and human rights perspective, based on the interconnection and dependency of we all humans with nature.

In late 90s I learned about AIDA and started collaborating with them. At that time the organization was just starting, and there I learned from many other environmental lawyers from other countries in the Americas, and understood that was I was seeing in Colombia, was a similar reality elsewhere. Doing this work I also started learning and using international law. In several cases, such as I Colombia with the spraying program, in Costa Rica and Mexico for the protection of sea turtles, and in Peru to protect children from a polluting smelter in La Oroya, I learned and saw first-hand of the power of international law to provide solutions. Both by including arguments from international law in national processes and courts or by bringing cases to international fora, international was fundamental to advance solutions when national options were not effective to prevent environmental destruction or the impact on human health.

I am still convinced and now more than ever, in the importance of advancing and using international law, to inspire the global, regional and national actions that are needed, and that today, seems so far. In this, the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is vital. This, with interdisciplinary and diverse work, including ancestral and traditional knowledge, science and intergenerational participation.

My roots in rural Colombia remain my inspiration, and of course, being a mom and living in Mexico City exponentially increased my awareness and commitment to do everything that I possibly can to make sure that my kids, and all children everywhere can breathe clean air, play outdoors, and enjoying thriving ecosystems and a safe climate.

As the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, what are your top priorities during your tenure?

Being the first woman and person from the Global South in this mandate is an honor and an important responsibility. First, in my mandate I am prioritizing the understanding of what an intersectional and diverse perspective is, in relation to the right to a healthy environment. What I mean by that is both helping to understand the situation that marginalized people and groups are facing today, linked with the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, exacerbated by systemic inequalities. Evidencing the risks and the impact, though not only that, but also identifying solutions and proposals that these marginalized communities are already implementing. Moving from a vision of victims to evidence and contribute to strengthen the voices and participation of knowledge and expertise that until today, has been ignored, and that it desperately needed to advance solutions for the triple planetary crises. I am doing this by working closely with Indigenous Peoples, organizations in the ground, and plan to continue doing so, strengthening working with children and youth, women, among others.

I am doing this from a practical perspective, listening and in communication to States to understand current challenges, and help provide tools applicable in reality.

Secondly, I am prioritizing the understanding of what are the obligations that States and businesses need to implement in relation with the environment, focusing on the ocean and air quality, and how a human right perspective and the human right to a healthy environment can contribute to the advancement of governance and effectiveness. I will also be working on clarifying the content of planning and environmental review measures, such as Environmental Impact Assessments and Strategic Environmental Assessments, and on the content of how to better guarantee access to information, public participation and access to justice.

An essential step that I am working on is the importance of the recognition and the effective implementation of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment at all jurisdictional levels, as it is intrinsically related to other human rights. That is why I dedicated my first report to assess the situation of recognition of this right around the world, helping to clarify its elements and bringing attention to its state of the art.

A third fundamental priority is the need to understand this human right holistically. What I mean by this is that the environment cannot be seen as only natural resources and each one separately. For example, protecting the ocean is fundamental, and to do it, we need to understand that the ocean is one single connected biome. Therefore, conserving a marine area because of its biodiversity, without considering the impacts from continued increasing offshore oil and gas, and overfishing, is an incomplete view. We need to understand that overall protection requires a comprehensive approach, that includes the drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution, and how these are connected, and implement actions that address these complexities. This perspective needs to also include the human face, including and mostly, guaranteeing the protection of environmental human rights defenders, who today, are under fire because of their work. In this sense, as humanity, we need to stop to advance initiatives centered only in one view, to advance a more holistic and comprehensive view of the planet, and the environment interlinked with humans, in that sense the human right to a healthy environment is vital to understand how to advance this interconnection. For example, regarding the ocean as a human right is the topic of my second report, that I presented at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March, and inspired the first resolution on the ocean and human rights by the Council. I will also share this report at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice in June.

The Core Human Rights Principles for Private Conservation Organizations and Funders aim to foster a rights-based approach to conservation. What do you see as the biggest challenges in ensuring these principles are widely adopted and implemented?

The biggest challenge in relation with conservation is that some private actors involved in these efforts, including civil society organizations, foundations, companies, financial actors, among others, are still not aware of their obligations regarding respecting human rights. As a Rapporteur I already over this year, have received letters denouncing situations where projects implemented by private actors violate or threat to violate human rights. Many of these violations relate with the lack of free, prior and informed consent to Indigenous Peoples, and to others that are in the lands or marine areas where projects are implemented. The response that I got is that either only States have the obligation to respect human rights, or that these projects complied with national legislation. However, this reflects that international law is not being considered, though it must, as it determined obligations of all parties.

Here there are two fundamental problems, first, the ignorance of some private actors that they have the obligation to respect human rights. For starters, that is a basic obligation of all. In addition, the UN has advanced for over a decade in the responsibility of businesses through the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These principles encompass all businesses, and there is no reason why private actors involved in conservation should be excluded. Specially because in some cases, these efforts involve significant activities that might impact human rights, such as supporting armed guards or the displacement or impact to those living or using areas to conserve.

Second, because unfortunately only relying on national legislation and its compliance is not enough for the effective protection of human rights. By the way, that is the main reason why the universal and regional systems on human rights exist, as subsidiary human rights bodies to contribute for the protection of human rights. Therefore, it is very important that all conservation efforts consider, understand and respect human rights.

As this is not being done, the Core Principles aim to provide clarity regarding what are the human rights obligations of private actors and frameworks that better describe and develop these obligations. Ideally the Core Principles should not be needed, but facing the challenges described before, these Principles will be useful to bring the conservation world to human rights, especially for those that need to further understand, prevent and incorporate these obligations in their activities.

A third element, linked with what I mentioned above, the Core Principles will hopefully help also to balance power in conservation efforts, and advance the information and participation needed from people and communities that because of marginalized situations, are not included in these processes. This inclusion is not a favor to people, is their right.

How do you envision improving the recognition and integration of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and knowledge in global conservation efforts?

Express recognition of their rights is fundamental. Not only in paper, but in reality. Despite of the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples, we are seeing still resistance from some States to include, refer and protect their rights. Making sure that States are consistent with these recognitions is a first step.

The second one is implementation. There are important advances internationally, with the agreements at the recent Convention on Biological Diversity and the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in its agreements. Compliance with this of course is crucial. Actions in relation with protecting the environment and climate actions must be participatory and inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, making sure Indigenous women, girls, children and youth also participate in these processes, and benefit from them.

For example, advancing in recognition of Indigenous Peoples rights, including in relation with coastal areas and marine activities for small-scale fishers, is one key recommendation that I did in my report on the ocean. Another one is to make sure that States and businesses provide a safe space for Indigenous Peoples and others who defend the environment. Today globally, Indigenous Peoples are being harassed, criminalized, even attacked and assassinated because of their work protecting their lands and the environment. This must stop right now, be implementing adequate investigation and ending impunity in relation to these violations.

Including Indigenous and ancestral knowledge is vital to solving the triple planetary crises. This must be done from a rights perspective, recognizing that these is also science. A key step forward there is for western and northern perspective to be humble, and recognize that current efforts are not being enough, and that these Indigenous and ancestral knowledge is important and can contribute to the solutions the world still needs. There are many examples of it already, from medicinal use of plants, to understanding the ocean and its interrelations, to increasing adaptation measures for crops.

What strategies would you recommend to ensure that conservation initiatives, such as the 30×30 target, do not inadvertently harm the very communities they aim to protect?

Any conservation efforts, including actions towards the 30×30 target, must be implemented with a human rights-based approach, including being inclusive, gender balanced, intersectional and participatory. This should be applied to all steps of the process, from its design, planning and implementation. Without this, conservation efforts no matter how well intended might be, risk to be top-down efforts, that might threaten human rights of Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent, peasants and rural communities, or other local communities. In addition, and as it has been demonstrated, by respecting human rights and doing these in an inclusive and participatory way, be decolonized, non-discriminatory, these projects will be more effective.

How can conservation efforts better address the intersecting challenges faced by marginalized groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities?

Again, a human-rights based approach is fundamental to make sure that marginalized groups are not excluded. With this perspective, decision making people implementing any conservation efforts would consider that instead of top-down perspective to decide for marginalized people, including them is the best way to protect them. Especially because marginalized people are not victims, they are actors for change and have rich experience, knowledge and expertise that can and must be included for all these initiatives to be more effective.

In your view, what mechanisms are most effective for holding private conservation organizations and funders accountable for human rights violations?

Human rights mechanisms are very effective for advancing accountability in all levels and actors, including regarding private conservation actors. These mechanisms include national and international mechanisms, including respecting human rights of Indigenous Peoples, such as Free Prior Informed Consent for projects that might impact their territories, including land and ocean territories. Other human rights mechanisms include adequate access to information, public participation and access to justice.

In countries with existent mechanisms for accountability of these organizations, litigation has also helped to advance or prevent violations.

Given your extensive experience in climate justice, how can governments and organizations work together to ensure that climate policies and actions are equitable and inclusive?

Coordination and collaboration are fundamental to advance climate justice, as no single State, organization or person can achieve the profound and systemic changes needed. A human rights-based approach is crucial, understanding that climate policies and effective climate actions must have human rights at the center, and be implemented in a diverse and participatory way, advancing accountability. To achieve this, implementing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment brings essential tools and priorities, including the need for access to information, public participation and access to justice and accountability, towards a safe climate. Today, in these challenging times, it is evident and that centering public interest as a common goal is needed, instead of prioritizing private and short-term profit. A human rights-based approach including respecting of present and future generations rights, provides good practices, guidelines and obligations to advance the effective climate actions that are pending.

Including a human rights-based approach means that all climate actions, as the Paris Agreement mentions, should be done in compliance with human rights. Including also the principle of non-discrimination. Therefore, the right to a healthy environment provide fundamental tools to make sure that processes and spaces are actually equitable and inclusive in order to identify and advance the solutions needed.

What advice would you give to young professionals or students interested in working at the intersection of environmental protection and human rights?

First, to imagine the world and the changes they envision, how would a world where the right to a healthy environment would be protected everywhere, to everyone. It is very important in all scales and corners to imagine this and work to make it happen. As solutions and paths are so different.

Also, understand that the Earth does not need to be saved by us. The Earth is stronger and wiser than we are. Our role is to understand how we, as human beings, can better live on the planet, how we can thrive without destroying the planet. Recognizing also that this is a collective and collaborative effort in which we all must participate. At the end, the solutions and changes are never the result of one person, organization, foundation or country, no matter who powerful they are. Advancing and achieving climate and environmental solutions will be done together. Finally, to have in mind that everything is connected, including all systems, transport, energy, food, finance, military, everything is connected and must be part of the solution.

As global biodiversity and climate crises intensify, what gives you hope that the human right to a healthy environment can be effectively realized in the coming decade?

The Youth Movements, the great wisdom of Indigenous knowledge, of many women, and the great work of people around the world making a great impact in their communities. Knowing that we are millions working together to advance the systemic and profound changes needed. And of course, my family, colleagues, my tribe.

Knowing that what we see today are the seeds of what will become a new relationship between humans and nature. One where humanity is truly connected and respects Nature, and where human thriving does not cost the planet’s health. This gives me hope, to witness many changes that are already going on, despite the many bad news. To see that ancestral knowledge is already being considered as science in some spaces and is starting to give sparks of solutions needed.