The Advisory Council of the Federal Natural Protected Areas of the Great Islands Region of the Gulf of California appointed a new Chairman this past 21st of January. By a qualified majority, they chose Christian Portillo, who serves as the Project Coordinator for Pronatura Noroeste in Baja California.

The advisory council aim to support strengthening the governance of Natural Protected Areas (NPAs). Governance is the collaborative system where government, society, academia, and users articulate and design actions to improve the conditions of the NPA.

According to the regulations, the term of the Chairman is two years, about which Christian Portillo said, “It will be an opportunity to consolidate the participation of different sectors represented on the council, to promote activities and issue recommendations that will be useful to the management of the Natural Protected Area to make decisions that support the sustainable use, conservation, and/or protection of natural resources.”

In turn, he mentioned this year’s workplan will focus on trainings to improve the performance of advisors, and that they are currently focused on revising and updating the Management Plan of the Bahía de los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve and the San Lorenzo Archipelago Marine Zone National Park. The next council meeting, in which progress from the first quarter will be presented, will take place in May.

Regarding the appointment, Christian Portillo said, “I am very happy. That some leaders from other sectors have nominated me, I see that as a recognition and a way of expressing the confidence they have about the work that has been done in Bahía.”

The Advisory Council of the Federal Natural Protected Areas of the Great Islands Region of the Gulf of California integrates the Bahía de los Ángeles Biosphere Reserve, the Flora and Fauna Protection Area for the Gulf of California in Baja California, and the San Lorenzo Archipelago Marine Zone National Park. It is comprised by 16 counselors of the 21 permitted by the regulations of the Advisory Councils for Natural Protected Areas and the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection.