Julio San Martin Chicas

Principal Program Coordinator for the North Coast

Julio is a biologist who graduated from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH). He has worked as a field technician and citizen science supervisor for fisheries research on the North Coast of Honduras. He began his career in environmental governance as an intern at the Coral Reef Alliance and as a volunteer at the environmental NGO, Fundación PROLANSATE. He later became an active member of PROLANSATE Foundation and AMATELA. Julio is also part of the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) leadership program and the U.S. Alumni community through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State. Julio stands out in the field of environmental governance due to his ability to disseminate technical information to institutions and local communities, a strength that he attributes to his extensive trajectory as an environmental educator. He also has experience in the implementation of aquaponic projects with native fish species and in fisheries monitoring, an initiative that has been the basis for making effective decisions related to the protection, recovery, and sustainable use of fishing resources on the Northern Coast of Honduras. Julio firmly believes that the participation of local communities is essential to achieve effective conservation of coastal marine resources. He joined CORAL in 2017 and currently serves as Principal Program Coordinator for the North Coast of Honduras, based mainly in Tela Bay.

Humans are the only creatures with the ability to dive deep in the sea, fly high in the sky, send instant messages around the globe, reflect on the past, assess the present and imagine the future.

Sylvia Earle