Gabriela Soto Nilo is a senior advisor within the Directorate of Conservation of Forest and Xerophytic Ecosystems at CONAF, Chile's National Forestry Corporation. Since joining CONAF in 2014, she has been at the forefront of the country's climate change initiatives. Her department is responsible for advancing Chile's REDD+ agenda under the UNFCCC, and she leads successfully the implementation of Green Climate Fund (GCF) fund, which she currently oversees at CONAF.
With a strong background in environmental management and sustainable development, Gabriela has coordinated numerous projects, including the UN-REDD Programme in collaboration with FAO, UNDP, and UN Environment; the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Readiness Programme and Carbon Fund; the GEF Sustainable Land Management project in partnership with the World Bank; Chile's first Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) for forests with Swiss Cooperation; and a Chile-Mexico project on forests and climate change.
Additionally, Gabriela leads her department's work on carbon markets associated with vegetation resources, serves as a technical counterpart for the UNCCD on desertification issues, and actively participates in UNFCCC negotiations. She is also a lecturer at FLACSO, specializing in sustainability and natural resources, and currently represents Chile as a Gender Champion for UN-REDD.
Gabriela is a qualified veterinarian and also completed two master's degrees, with a focus on environmental studies, sustainable development, and nature conservation. Furthermore, she possesses a diploma in carbon markets and in September 2024 completed a course on Indigenous cosmovision.