Mexico Program Director Juan Carlos Bravo Awarded for Breakthrough Cross-Border Conservation Work
For Immediate Release—Nov. 11, 2021
Juan Carlos presenting at a Road Ecology Workshop in 2019. Photo: Jaime Villa
SEATTLE—The Wilburforce Foundation presented today a 2021 Conservation Leadership Award (CLA) to Juan Carlos Bravo of Wildlands Network for his work in preserving habitat and species across the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Juan Carlos is a pragmatic visionary who can work across cultures, who looks for and identifies solutions, and who is always guided by a deep commitment to the natural world and the people who depend on it,” said Rose Letwin, president and founder of the Wilburforce Foundation.
Established in 2000, the Conservation Leadership Award recognizes groundbreaking leaders protecting wildlands and wildlife in western North America. The CLA comes with a cash award for both the individual winner and the organization they represent. Since its inception, Wilburforce has recognized nearly 100 leaders with the CLA.
As Mexico Program Director for Wildlands Network, Bravo works with landowners to conserve habitat on private lands, collaborates with authorities on both sides of the southern border to develop wildlife crossings, and helps policymakers understand the critical importance of habitats and keystone species across boundaries.
“Wildlife knows no borders,” Bravo said. “The artificial lines between countries have real impacts on biodiversity and species survival. We need to make these lines permeable for animals. We’re humbled and grateful that the Wilburforce Foundation has supported our work on the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Juan Carlos at Rancho El Aribabi with owner Carlos Robles
In recent years, Bravo has led efforts to identify jaguar corridors in the borderlands; to protect the Cocóspera River from highway development; to protect in perpetuity a half million acres in the Sky Islands region of the Bavispe Natural Protected Area; and to make wildlife crossings mandatory for roads throughout the state of Sonora.
“Juan Carlos brings vibrant leadership and strategic action to ensure that the most important wild places in the Sky Islands of Sonora are protected and stewarded so animals like black bears and jaguars have the safe pathways they need to thrive,” said Louise Misztal, Executive Director of the Sky Island Alliance. Bravo is a board member for the Alliance. “His love for the wildlife and lands he works to protect lifts spirits and gives us hope.”
Wildlands Network is reimagining conservation by employing a bold, continental-scale approach to protecting nature. Recognizing wildlife's fundamental need to move, Bravo and his colleagues convene the expertise of scientists, communities and decision-makers to
protect the core habitat and corridors wildlife traverse daily and seasonally. Their focus on data-driven analysis and collaborative partnerships leads to greater, lasting conservation outcomes.
About Wildlands Network
Since 1991, Wildlands Network has been committed to reconnecting, restoring and rewilding North America for the benefit of all species. Our work is grounded in science, driven by fieldwork and furthered through strategic policy and partnerships.
About Wilburforce Foundation
Wilburforce Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that supports land, water and wildlife conservation efforts in western North America. We invest in natural and social sciences to advance conservation, working with our grantees to defend and use policies that protect our natural world.
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Contact:
Chris Nelson
cnelson@pyramidcommunications.com
206-940-1605 (mobile)
