Víctor Rosales, 42, is among many informal conservationists in coastal Mexico who have taken it on themselves to monitor and protect local sea-turtle habitat in the absence of adequate government enforcement. Born in Belize to a Guatemalan Mayan-Quiché mother and a Salvadoran father, he lives in Mahahual, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. His family moved to the Caribbean state in 1987 to escape the four-decade civil war in Guatemala that eventually ended in 1996. He served for a decade in the Mexican Army, where he trained as a diver—a skill he has used to lead tourists in underwater explorations. But Rosales also focuses a great deal of his time on Aak Mahahual, a local sea-turtle-conservation project he founded and operates with some 20 volunteers, among them a biologist who provides technical support. The group patrols the area’s turtle-nesting habitat, facing challenges ranging from illegal fishers and turtle-egg thieves to sargassum that often blankets nesting areas. (See related story—this issue.) Rosales spoke recently with EcoAméricas contributor Julián Reingold. This interview was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
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