Professor, University of Cebu School of Law

Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio is a public interest lawyer and law professor at the University of Cebu School of Law in the Philippines. She has authored and edited numerous academic articles. Her research scholarship areas are concerning the underlying legal and institutional environmental governance framework, marine spatial planning, biodiversity protection, climate change, traditional knowledge, and legal compliance in protected landscapes and marine sensitive areas. She is concurrently the Acting Vice President and Senior Director for Campaigns, Legal and Policy of Oceana in the Philippines. In 2019, She was elected as the Chairperson of the International Union for Conservation of Nature – Academy of Environmental Law (IUCNAEL) – the first Asian to lead the academy, and served for four years until 2023.

She is the co-founder of the Philippine Earth Justice Center, Inc. (PEJC) along with other environmental lawyers in Cebu. The PEJC has filed several environmental cases, including the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Resident Marine Mammals and Dolphins vs. Reyes where she is was recognized as a co-steward of the resident whales and dolphins to stop illegal oil drilling and exploration in the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape in Central Philippines, the largest marine protected area in the Philippines.