As Conservation Programs Director for the international conservation organization Wildlands Network, Juan Carlos coordinates work in four different regions of North America, advancing ecosystem connectivity across multiple landscapes, jurisdictions and cultures. He works closely with Wildlands Network’s Executive Director creating systems for effective internal collaboration between staff with different jobs, backgrounds and experiences, as a means for creating a culture connectivity and diversity that ensures the organizations puts into internal practice the values we advocate for externally.

Born in Mexico City, Juan Carlos moved in 2005 to Sonora where he played a central role in establishing and expanding the Northern Jaguar Reserve, a private sanctuary for the northernmost population of the species, which he managed for nine years. Throughout his career he was part of the team tasked with reintroducing Mexican wolves into Mexico, supported prairie dog and grasslands conservation, successfully campaigned for securing the legal certainty of the Natural Protected Area Bavispe, prevented the destruction of the best-preserved stretch of the Cocóspera river by negotiating the redirection of a highway, and had an instrumental role in the passing of novel environmental legislation in Sonora.

He is a strong advocate of international and multi-stakeholder collaboration and a cartography enthusiast who enjoys looking at complex problems that call for solutions built from diverse skills and multiple approaches. Juan Carlos is a 2021 recipient of Wilburforce’s Conservation Leadership Award.