About us

Wild nature is a source of inspiration for me and I feel at home there. Next to a huge tree in the old-growth forest, on the foggy riverbank or sitting on a mountain - nature helps to recharge my batteries and to experience small and big wonders. In the last 20 years I have seen whole forest landscapes disappear, cities and roads have covered lakes and valleys. Pristine nature is becoming rarer by the year - at a frightening rate that compels action. I love nature and, as part of Wilderness International, I want to fight to ensure that our Earth will continue to be one thing: Wild and beautiful.

I was born in the Andes, in Urcos, near Cusco, a wonderful place full of nature at that time. As a child, I moved with my family to Madre de Dios, where I have now lived for more than 45 years. I love the trees, rivers, streams and waterfalls, the heat and the sounds of nature with its thousands of species of animals here. Although I have to admit that I don't like mosquitoes very much. I have worked for numerous entities in Puerto Maldonado, from tourist accommodations to government organizations to family businesses. But working with Wilderness International is the most fulfilling for me because I see us preserving the things I love so much. And most importantly, because I feel that in this way I can also raise awareness in others about how to care for, protect, and preserve our beautiful natural world.

I grew up in rural western Canada and know that I was very fortunate to be able to enjoy the freedom of the outdoors, hiking, camping and horseback riding. This has developed my identity throughout my life, which is deeply connected to nature and wild spaces. I feel joy and freedom whenever I experience something new or unexpected in the beauty of nature and the world around me.

I realize more and more clearly that these natural spaces need to be protected. Photography and adventure travel have given me the opportunity to preserve and share these experiences. I believe it is important to connect closely with nature to understand the spiritual connection we have with the earth. Our daily lives are overstimulated, and we are too desensitized to a meaningful relationship with a world that we depend on because it sustains us. When you think collectively, you sense the smallness of the individual being within a greater whole. Each part serves to build an amazing network to which we belong. I find meaning and purpose in this belonging.

My hope and goal is to fulfill my obligation of building bridges and protecting. Deep down, I am a connector and protector. Family, environment and community are an inseparable expression of my life and the footprints I leave behind. With Wilderness International, I have found community and meaningful action.

I never thought I would end up in conservation. Actually, I've always been interested in other, more social issues. But no one can convince you to protect the environment as much as nature itself. Standing under a giant tree and feeling its age, seeing whales and hearing wolves howl. I cannot and will not imagine a world without that. And so, since the first time I went to the wilderness as a high school student with WI, I've stuck with it. I organized an exchange with the Gwich'in in the West Arctic and lived north of the Arctic Circle for five months to do it. After that, I studied intercultural communication. In Team Communication I can combine both passions and share the beauty of wilderness with others.