Nonette Royo works alongside Indigenous peoples and communities to advance their land rights — and share and connect local knowledge and wisdom with the broader world.

Why you should listen

Inspired by the heroes of her childhood bedtime stories — the guardian spirits and ethnic warriors resisting the destruction of sacred forests in the Pantaron Mountain Range in the Philippines — Nonette Royo grew up to become a human rights and environment lawyer, committed to supporting the aspirations of Indigenous and local peoples and helping forest communities protect their people and land.

Royo is the executive director of the Tenure Facility, an organization focused on securing land and forest rights for Indigenous peoples and local communities. Specifically, Tenure funds projects working to secure land rights while reducing conflict, driving sustainable development, improving human rights and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Nonette Royo’s TED talk