What does it mean to restore land, relationships and self as a Restoration Steward in Latin America?

30 January 2026

A year ago, I received news that changed the perspective I have on restoration, governance, community and the direction I want to give to my life and my work. I remember the email telling me that I had been accepted into the program. I would become the first Restoration Steward from Mexico, and, for the first time, our project obtained international recognition; that had to be celebrated, no?

I want to begin this text by confessing how difficult it is for me to recognize the importance of our work. Sometimes I don’t think we are really making a significant impact on the community, the ecosystems or the dunes; I also don’t feel that I am able to inspire anyone.

I don’t know where that lack of self-recognition would have led me, but fortunately, the people who accompany me give me that “little push” I need to realize why what we do is worth it and how far we have come.

On that note, when I received the news that my team would be the next Ocean Restoration Stewards, we celebrated this achievement together. The way was to share a triple chocolate brownie.

A brownie and coffee to celebrate the start of the journey called 2025 Restoration Stewards. Photo credits: Baruch Aguilar

In February 2025, this journey officially began; with my feet in the sand and my arms open for whatever came my way. And I genuinely had no idea what was coming. Should I speak in English? Would the people in the group understand what I meant? Why are the meetings at 7 am? All those questions constantly inhabited me; however, during the meetings, I always felt comfortable and listened to.

Now our activities have a global scope and perspective. The action continued, the last year of the project, full of inspiration and with a great inertia to conclude the year achieving the committed goals, learning in community and now with a super trained and inspiring network which would accompany me during this journey: the 2025 cohort of Restoration Stewards, my mentors Gabriela Gavarrete and Alejandra Laina and the incredible team of the Youth in Landscapes (YIL) initiative and the GLF.

First community meeting with the 2025 Restoration Stewards. Photo credits: GLF

Learning about the reality of restoration and conservation in the Global South came quickly. In March 2025, a group of people decided to cut down more than 4 hectares of the coastal dune scrub of Sisal. Although this area was not within the intervened area where we work, the event itself impacted on many levels.

Personally I felt very sad and disappointed by what was happening, the community with which I have been coexisting for almost 10 years and half of them working to promote a harmonious vision, care and respect for nature were doing the opposite: occupying (and dismantling) federal lands on the coastal dune scrub under the premise that they would be living spaces for their families.

A lot happened in just a few months: the community was divided, the safety of our group was compromised, and the continuity of our restoration and conservation activities was disrupted.

In those moments, I discovered the value of being part of the Restoration Stewards community, because celebrating, recognizing and applauding are an important part, but supporting and sheltering a colleague who is going through a situation like this; That’s what makes the difference.

That’s why, in the second community meeting (May), I communicated with the other Stewards and the GLF team about the situation; they listened to me and motivated me to move forward, and they gave me the inspiration I needed to be able to return to action.

Aerial view of the deforested dune area (left). Photo credits: Recycling Dunes

The idea we have as a team about what restoration is has been transformed over time, and this year it had a radical change; it reminded us that restoration is not merely ecological, “restoration is about relationships”.

What relationship do we have with the community? How is the relationship of the community with the beach and the dunes?

These premises now guide our work to strengthen, understand, and reestablish the relationship that coastal communities have with the ecosystems that surround them. If we do not start from that, any other action could lack understanding.

The year of learning continued on its way, little by little we resumed the rhythm of work and the activities were flowing. We started a capacity-building program for high school students in the community, followed up on the eradication of Casuarina equisetifolia in the coastal landscape, ran an environmental education program with children from Sisal, and yes, also ran dune reforestation campaigns.

Photos of activities implemented during the restoration project (beach activities, eradication of Casuarina and high school training program) Photo credits: Recycling dunes

One of the best moments of the year was participating in international events where I learned directly from people like me: young environmentalists focused on protecting and caring for nature, and the people who defend and inhabit it.

It is incredible the feeling of not feeling alone in this struggle, knowing that in every corner of the planet, there are those who act for a living anda dignified future.

Overall, that’s what I felt when I participated in the Climate Justice Camp in Tepoztlán, Mexico and the GLF’s Community and Action Assembly for Latin America and the Caribbean in Brasilia, Brazil.

Today, I take some time to stop and look back at what this path has been. I learned to recognize myself, to take care of myself, to communicate, to collaborate, to let myself be supported, to know my limits and to pause. In short: I learned and made my way by walking in community.