On this occasion the ambassador is Ramón Perezgil, President of FAUNAM, a civil society organization which for 44 years has been committed to wildlife research and conservation. Mr. Perezgil is a former conservation expert for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Ramón Perezgil has served as a consultant for wildlife and protected areas for numerous organizations such as UNDP, IUCN, GEF-World Bank, Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, WWF, the Government of Mexico, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, various Mexican NGOs and indigenous communities. Within the IUCN, he has been a member of its Council, the SSC and SULi, the Regional Office Advisory Council and the World Commission on Protected Areas, and the Mesoamerican and Mexican Members’ Committees. He previously served as Director of Mexico ́s Wildlife Service, as Deputy Director of the Institute of Natural History in Chiapas, as Founder-Director of the School of Biology in Chiapas, National Coordinator for Mexico’s Biodiversity Strategy, and he participated in the IPBES analysis for the Americas.

The Mexican expert has a robust opinion on the relationship between hunting and nature conservation:

– The use of natural resources by humans is as old as our presence as a distinct species on the planet – in fact it clearly equates with our survival. We were hunters and gatherers, as all we need comes from nature. In recent times, with more and more people living in cities, it seems that we have forgotten the ancient links we still have with nature and its resources. Hunting has evolved as one of many means of benefiting from wildlife species, and indeed in many instances it is proven that, if practised properly, it contributes significantly to safeguarding game species, their habitats and permanent survival. It thereby conserves many other species and also fosters the wellbeing of human communities related to the activity.

In relation to the World Exhibition, the President thinks that the most important outcome we could expect from the OWN Exhibition would be to see the establishment and strengthening of bridges of communication, understanding, and even empathy between previously distant – and even antagonistic – points of view and positions.

– It is rare for “preservationists” – a temporary label I would like to use for people who want nature to be untouched – to come together with other conservationists in an imaginary spectrum extending all the way to people, including hunters, who promote the use of natural resources.