Blog
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Collaborative governance as a model to advance inclusive participatory processes in the Northwestern Sonora Reserve Cluster, Mexico.
I participated in the strategic planning for the Northwestern Sonora Reserve Cluster, a multi-stakeholder decision-making process aiming to define a 10-year socio-environmental management plan for two protected areas: the Upper Gulf of California and Colorado River Delta and the Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar biosphere reserves. The process, led by the National Commission of […]
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Nopalitos
My grandma's house, where I lived when I was a kid, had a great little farm in the backyard with fruit trees, edible prickly pear cactus, a vegetable garden, and chickens. Taking care of the chickens was fun - although cleaning the coop, not so much. Gathering the ripe fruits and vegetables from her garden […]
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How traditional knowledge can help improve marine conservation management in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Marine and land management practices built on western ideals have affected the livelihoods of Indigenous groups like the Cucapá peoples from the Colorado River delta in the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico, particularly their traditional fishing activities. To better protect natural resources and improve the Cucapás’ livelihoods, land and marine conservation managers need to change […]
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Decolonizing Development Practice
Development is the product of a particular perspective, a vision of the world that does not necessarily coincide with others', particularly local and indigenous peoples. Though the concept of development has changed, some practices still recreate colonial oppression, including land grabbing for conservation and the exploitation of local and traditional knowledge. Some development projects fail because […]
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In/Visibilities of The LGBTQI Migrant Caravans
On August 10, 2017, twelve transgender women and four gay men headed to the Deconcini port of entry in downtown Nogales on the US-Mexico border. Behind them, a handful of people, including international allies, journalists, and television reporters, attracted to the outspoken, provocative, and defiant collective, were documenting the first trans-gay migrant caravan from Central […]
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How I Learned to Communicate the Hard Way
Communication is a two-way process. I learned it the hard way. Ten years ago, I worked with a group of women from Golfo de Santa Clara, a small fishing town in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. My colleague Claudia and I were interested in land protection. While visiting the community, we realized that plastic […]
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El otro lado
El otro lado is the expression Mexicans use to refer to America. It literally means the other side, as on the other side of the border. The first time I visited America I was impressed by the roads, parks, and houses – so different from Mexico. I knew we were not rich, but I never thought of […]
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Quite a Journey
The first time I visited Tucson I was 7 years old. I still remember my mom driving her brand new bright red Volkswagen Beetle, my sister and I in the back seat, glued to the windows, eyes wide open, jaws dropped in amazement. The tall buildings, the big houses, the wide roads and bridges all seemed perfect, […]
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