Pronatura is Mexico’s most established conservation organization and a pioneer in Mexican private lands conservation. The organization is currently working on a number of private lands protection projects with WiLDCOAST including the Bahia de Los Angeles Coastal Corridor and Bahia Concepcion Peninsula Conservation Project. Pronatura recently developed a binational private lands conservation corridor in the Tecate-Tijuana border region and established the 25,000-acre Lucenilla Peninsula Conservation Reserve along the Sea of Cortez in the state of Sinaloa. Staff includes:

• Juan Carlos Barrerra. Executive Director. Juan Carlos is one of the most experienced conservation professionals in Mexico. Prior to managing Pronatura-Noroeste, he directed the Sea of Cortez Program for the World Wildlife Fund. He also managed the one-million acre Upper Sea of Cortez Biosphere Reserve.
• Miguel Angel Vargas Téllez. Land Conservation Program Coordinator. Miguel’s achievements include the establishment of the bi-national conservation easement in Tecate, coastal easements in Bahia de Los Angeles, and the Lucenilla Peninsula Conservation Trust in Sinaloa, the largest coastal easement in the Mexican Pacific Coast. He holds a degree in marine resources administration from the University of Baja California.
• José María Beltrán Abaunza. Conservation Information Center Coordinator. José has been a Geographic information Systems consultant since 1995.
• Martín Gutiérrez Lacayo. Land Conservation Program Coordinator. He recently coordinated the conservation of 350,000-acres of rainforest habitat in southern Mexico in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. He worked for the Federal Environmental Protection Office before joining Pronatura. He is coauthor of the Environmental Law of Naucalpan de Juárez County, and represents Pronatura at the National Forestry Council. Martín holds an environmental law degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana.
• José Fernando Ochoa Pineda. Land Conservation Program Legal Advisor. He holds a law degree from the Universidad Intercontinental and a graduate diploma in Environmental Law from the Universidad en Estudios de Posgrado en Derecho. He helped establishing the bi-national conservation easement in Tecate, coastal easements in Bahia de Los Angeles, and the Lucenilla Peninsula Conservation Trust.