Hannah Porada | Senior Expert Environmental Justice

Hannah Porada is an environmental justice expert at IUCN NL. Her work spans Latin America and Europe, addressing the socio-environmental impacts of extractive industries, environmental crimes, forest co-governance, the protection of land and environmental defenders, water justice, and wetland restoration. Hannah places strong emphasis on strengthening grassroots movements and civil society and appreciates working within alliances. 

Prior to joining IUCN NL, Hannah obtained a PhD from the University of Amsterdam. Her dissertation explored the impacts of extractive industries on communities in Guatemala and the Netherlands, analyzing struggles over territory and for environmental and water justice. Conducting extensive field- and action-oriented research, she collaborated with grassroots movements, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and water authorities across places. At the same time, Hannah was also a fellow in the EU-funded NEWAVE network, where she worked on pressing global water governance challenges. 

Hannah has also worked with several international development and humanitarian organizations, including the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Hannah’s motivation to work on environmental justice is deeply personal, stemming from early engagement with the destructive impacts of brown coal mining near her home in Germany. Another pivotal moment in her journey was a time she lived in Northeastern Brazil, where she supported a locally led project supporting small-scale fishing communities affected by mangrove loss and river pollution.

Hannah is fluent in German, English, Spanish, and Italian, with working knowledge of Portuguese, and elementary knowledge of Dutch.