Gerthie Mayo-Anda is an environmental attorney with over 25 years of field-based practice in environmental advocacy and community-based resource management work in the Philippines. She established the Environmental Legal Assistance Center (ELAC) in 1990, now one of the Philippine’s most active NGOs working to empower communities and local stakeholders to protect their natural resources, and is currently the Executive Director. Mayo-Anda has received several awards and commendations for her environmental work, including one from Conde Nast Traveler Magazine in July 2000 in recognition of her work with the Palawan indigenous communities and the establishment of ELAC; the Puerto Princesa City’s MAYOR’S AWARD for valuable contribution to sustainable development and environmental protection; and Grant Fellowship Awardee, United States-Asia Environmental Fellowship (USAEP) Program; the Western Command 2014 Bayanihan Award for engagement with government and communities on environmental education and the February 2018 “Istorya ng Pag-asa” commendation of Vice-President Leonor Robredo. She works on Seminars and Trainings organized by the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja), Alternative Law Groups (ALG) and government agencies on environmental laws, new rules on the prosecution of environmental cases, coastal law enforcement, climate change and environmental governance. She is an author and co-author of various articles and publications on environmental policy, environmental governance, community-based resource management, mining, REDD+ and corruption risks. She is a Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Law, Legal Ethics, and Land Titles at the Palawan State University College of Law. She finished law degree in 1985 at the San Jose de Recoletos, Cebu City and undergraduate degree in Accounting from St. Theresa’s College, Cebu City.
Gerthie Mayo-Anda will participate in the World Justice Forum working session Access to Justice Land and Environmental Advocates Need to Protect us from Climate Change