TEAM
ABOARD
DVM. PhD. CASANDRA GÁLVEZ
President.
Research in Marine Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health.
SUCCES IN CONSERVATION IS THE RESULT OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EFFORT - Casandra
Casandra studied Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS) in La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico. Her thesis title was: “Gastroenteric pathologies in South America sea lion Otaria byronia stranded in Lima, Perú (2010)”. Thorough Veterinary School she had contact with sea lions, whale sharks and manatees and decided to explore health aspects in wild populations. She has a master’s degree in “Management of Marine Resources”, by the National Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Politecnico Nacional) at Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN) with the thesis title: ´´Causes of mortality in Guadalupe fur seal Arctocephalus townseni neonates´´ (2013-2015). Her main contribution was the first Mexican program for Guadalupe fur seal management and conservation, issued by Mexican governmental institution: ´´Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas´´ (CONANP)´´.
After her master, Casandra obtained a doctoral degree under the program of ´´Marine Science´´ at CICIMAR-IPN with a thesis titled: ´´Guadalupe fur seal Arctocephalus townsendi health assessment (2016-2020) by hematological parameters´´.During this period, she participated in several national and international marine mammal conferences and had the opportunity to collaborate with The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) and members of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at US, regarding the first health assesment study of species at Guadalupe Island, B.C. Mexico. Finally, Casandra had the opportunity to be an officer in the Mexican Marine Mammal Society (SOMEMMA, A.C.) as well as a participation at the general advisory council at Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN) (as student).
Currently, Casandra belongs to National System of Researchers in Mexico (SNI, 1) and she is working in some projects regarding health and ecology of marine mammals in Mexico. She is starting her collaboration as part time professor in Universidad Veracruzana at Tuxpan unit. Her main goal is to apply health knowledge to improve wildlife management and conservation programs in Mexico. She thinks conservation success of wildlife populations is proportional to the multidisciplinary background of people involved. Her main areas of interest are politics and wildlife management, conservation Medicine as well as Health aspects of free-range populations.
DVM. MSc. DANIELA BARCENAS DE LA CRUZ
Co-founder and Treasurer.
Research in animal welfare
Daniela studied the career of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics at Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora (2004-2009). Since she was a student she became really interested in wildlife. In 2013 she completed her master’s in “Marine Resources Management”, by the National Polytechnic Institute (Instituto Politecnico Nacional) at Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR-IPN) where she began her work with marine mammals, especially pinnipeds. Her master’s theses title was: ´´Exploring the causes of mortality of the California sea lion Zalophus californianus at Magdalena Island, B.C.S., Mexico´´.
Ever since, she has collaborated in various research projects related to this subject. She co-founded Cientinela del Mar A.C., in 2015. She has been a part time Professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur in the Animal Science and Habitat Conservation Department, teaching subjects related to wild fauna such as Marine Mammals Biology.
During that time, she co-founded a Project for disentanglement of sea lions in La Paz, B.C.S., which later expanded to the northwestern region of Mexico. This program brought for the first time in Latin America the use of the Remote Sedation Technique and Telemetry to achieve the rescue and capture of free-range sea lions in the Gulf of California. In 2015, she made a professional internship at The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC), as part of the International Veterinarian in Residency program. From 2017 to date she has dedicated most of her time to the strengthening and expansion of the Sea Lion Rescue Project as the Technical and Veterinary Science Director, overseeing the rescue operations and performing anesthesia and medical care to entangled sea lions in Mexico.
Currently, Daniela is collaborating on several research projects involving health, welfare, and fisheries interactions with pinnipeds.
Her main areas of interest are Conservation Medicine and Health aspects of free-range marine mammal populations as well as anthropogenic interactions.
BIOL. MAR. PhD. TATIANA ACOSTA PACHÓN
Secretary.
Research in Marine Ecology
“The environment must be studied as a whole, a complete integration, taking into account different points of view and from producers to predators, to understand how it works”
-Tatiana
Tatiana is a marine biologist from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Colombia (2007). She has always had an interest in the ecology of marine organisms, especially top predators. In 2010 she finished her master’s in “Management of Marine Resources”, by Politecnico Nacional at Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR). Her master’s theses title was: “Growth and isotopic variation of carbon and Nitrogen in vibrissae of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris). At same institution she got her doctoral degree under the program of ´´Marine Science´ and the theses title was: Ontogenetic variation in feeding habits of striped marlin Kajikia audax and swordfish Xiphias gladius in the Eastern Pacific at CICIMAR-IPN. As a graduate student, he had the opportunity to participate in different national and international conferences, exposing his work.
In both cases she uses stable isotope biochemical technique, which allows solving not only questions about trophic habits, but also allows a better vision of factors such as migration or ontogenetic changes, in the species that are analyzed. The fact of being able to work with different species of top predators allows the vision of the functioning of the marine ecosystem to be broadened much more.
Currently, Tatiana belongs to National System of Researchers in Mexico (SNI, 1) and is working with producer organisms, without neglecting top predators. In particular, she is starting to work with macroalgae, which allow determining isotopic base values that can help to understand more complex processes at the following levels that are part of the analyzed systems. She is teaching at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur in bachelor and postgraduate, in the careers of marine biology, water sciences and the postgraduate degree in Marine and Coastal Sciences. Also, she advises undergraduate and graduate students.
She works in collaboration also with the macroalgae Lab at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, since 2016 in different projects.
Her main areas of interest is marine ecology, particularly from the point of view of energy transfers and changes through time, using the stable isotope technique, which can be used from primary producers to top predators.
BIOL. MAR. PhD. MARIANA DÍAZ SANTANA ITURRIOS
Research associate.
Research in Marine taxonomy and climate change.
Mariana Díaz-Santana-Iturrios is a BSc in Marine Biology from Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur (2011), MSc in Marine Resources Management from Instituto Politecnico Nacional-Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (2014), and PhD in Biological Livestock Sciences in the Area of Fishery Sciences from Universidad Autonoma de Nayarit (2018).
Additionally, she conducted a two-year postdoctoral stay (2019-2021) in Santiago, Chile at Universidad Andres Bello. The research disciplines in which she is focused on are the following: taxonomy, fisheries, population dynamics, biodiversity, ecology, biology, biogeography, phylogeny and evolution of marine fauna. She performs research using multiple tools under an integrative approach.
Likewise, the research disciplines she works with are cutting edge, thus, have the potential of bringing present-day solutions, and allow to develop action plans to address climate change based on predictions formulated with strong scientific support in order to benefit the interaction between marine environments and society.