Ernesto Christian Enkerlin Hoeflich (born 14 December 1958 in

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

) is the Director of Conservation and Sustainability at Parque Fundidora. A prominent Mexican conservationist, environmentalist and researcher, he specializes in

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

, environmental policy, sustainability and biodiversity stewardship.

Education

Enkerlin holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Agronomy and Animal Science from

Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) ( en, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a secular and Mixed-sex education, coeducational private ...

(ITESM, 1980) and a doctorate degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

at College Station (1995).

Career

He has worked as a research professor at the Center for Environmental Quality (ITESM) and as an adjunct research scientist for the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation of the

Earth Institute {{Infobox organization , name = The Earth Institute , image = Ei blue1.gif , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , map2 = , type = , tax_id ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. As a conservationist, Enkerlin has worked for several

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s and co-founded ''Amigos de la Naturaleza'' and ''Pronatura Noreste'' before joining the National Commission on Protected Areas by presidential appointment. During his tenure, Mexico increased its protected area coverage by almost 50% adding over 8 million hectares in different protected area categories and also became the country in the world with the most international protected area designations which it holds to this date (2015). CONANP incorporated 26 new sites to the

World Network of Biosphere Reserves The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage sustainable dev ...

and received recognition for over 125

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s of international importance under the

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

. Additionally, Mexico incorporated Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (2005) and Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries (2009) as natural sites under the

World Heritage Convention The World Heritage Convention, formally the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, is an international treaty signed on 23 November 1972, which created the World Heritage Sites, with the primary goals of ...

. Enkerlin was also involved in negotiating and launching the first international agreement on wilderness signed by the governments of Canada, United States and Mexico in November, 2009, ''Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected Areas Conservation'' and in establishing the first wilderness area in Latin America. Formerly, Enkerlin was the Leader of the Legacy for Sustainability (ITESM); chair,

World Commission on Protected Areas The World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is one of six commissions of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). History In 1948, the IUCN established a Committee on National Parks. Two decades later the IUCN had been ask ...

(WCPA-IUCN); Scientific President for Pronatura, Mexico's largest conservation NGO; and board member of the Global Institute for Sustainability (ITESM) and Fundación Coca-Cola. He is a retired Professor of Ecology and Sustainability from Monterrey Tech and has been dedicated to his family's sustainable vineyard and winery since 2016. He is the brother of notable Mexican entomologist Walther Enkerlin.

Awards

His efforts at the National Commission on

Protected areas of Mexico Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

(CONANP), which he presided from 2001 to 2010, were distinguished with the 2005 Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and one of the 2009 Distinguished Service Awards by the

Society for Conservation Biology The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an 501(c)(3) non-profit international professional organization that is dedicated to conserving biodiversity. There are over 4,000 members worldwide, including students and those in related non-academ ...

. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN) awarded Enkerlin one of the 2008 Packard Awards and the Kenton Miller Award for Innovation in Protected Areas Conservation in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enkerlin, Ernesto Conservation biologists Mexican conservationists Mexican ecologists Academic staff of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education alumni Texas A&M University alumni People from Monterrey Mexican people of German descent 1958 births Living people People associated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Education

Career

Awards

See also

References