Said GUTIERREZ

Said holds a BSc in Natural Resource Management from the University of Belize and an MSc in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter in the UK. With 15 years of experience in conservation, Said’s has pursued a management and research-based career with major interests in protected areas management, landscape ecology and restoration, and corridor connectivity. He currently works for the Ya’axché Conservation Trust, a non-profit conservation organization in southern Belize. He holds the position of Protected Areas Program Director and is responsible for the oversight of management activities within four protected areas with a focus on enforcement and compliance of protected area rules and regulations. Additionally, he leads the wider development of Ya’axché's Protected Areas Program in the context of Belize's National Protected Areas System and its management framework. More recently he works at the intersection of conservation, livelihoods improvement and protected areas benefits sharing as part of Ya’axché's growing scope of conservation work in Belize.