María Pía Hernández Palacios is a lawyer specializing in international environmental law with a Master of Science from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. She brings extensive experience in advancing biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, and indigenous peoples’ rights across Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, María Pía served as Regional Program Manager for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In this role, she led strategic partnerships and coordinated initiatives at national, regional, and international levels. She supervised the implementation of programs focused on landscape restoration, disaster risk reduction, and the sustainable management of natural resources while ensuring the inclusion of indigenous and community rights. From 2014 to 2016, she coordinated the interdisciplinary team that developed the Map of Indigenous Peoples, Protected Areas, and Natural Ecosystems of Central America, a landmark tool for conservation and territorial rights. Since March 2023, María Pía has been the Regional Manager of the Territorial Mesoamerican Fund (FTM)—an innovative financial mechanism created by the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests. The FTM facilitates territorial investment to strengthen indigenous peoples’ organizations and local communities in some of the most biodiverse and culturally significant forest regions of Mesoamerica. In just three years, the Fund has allocated over $2 million USD in grants to support community-led initiatives in conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development. With her deep expertise in environmental governance, indigenous rights, and sustainable finance, María Pía is dedicated to building a future where local communities and indigenous peoples play a central role in protecting the planet’s most vital ecosystems.