B (Betza) Olivares Resendiz, MSc

I’m a PhD Candidate at Wageningen University & Research in the Sociology of Development and Change (SDC) group. I first trained as a biologist and later completed a master’s in Environment and Sustainable Development at UCL. After working with international environmental project developers, I became increasingly interested in exploring just alternatives for conservation. My PhD focuses on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conservation Areas or Territories (ICCAs) in Mexico. I will work directly with communities to understand the challenges they face and to co-create practical, meaningful solutions. I’m also exploring how these local initiatives connect to global conservation debates, and how their impact and visibility can be strengthened beyond the local scale.