Defenders Praised by Mexican Officials for Wildlife Radio Show

Teyeliz President Maria Elena Sanchez (middle), Defenders Mexico Director Juan Carlos Cantu, and Supervivencia producer Cynthia Ruiz accept a Conservation of Nature award in Communications for their wildlife radio program.

More and more people are recognizing that protecting wildlife is an important mission that transcends geographic boundaries and crosses media. And now our conservation partners in Mexico have the accolades to prove it.

Last week, a Defenders-funded radio show, Supervivencia, won a “Conservation of Nature” award in Communications! The program is hosted by Maria Elena Sanchez, president of Teyeliz, A.C. and wife of Defenders’ Mexico Program Director Juan Carlos Cantu, and focuses on threats to biodiversity.

Supervivencia is broadcasted weekly from Mexico City on IMER, a national governmental radio station that reaches more than 200,000 people across the country. Maria Elena and Juan Carlos created the show with help from Defenders to educate Mexican citizens about threats to parrots, sea turtles, mangrove forests and other major conservation challenges in the country.

Coyote tracks mark the sand at Medanos de Samalayuca near Ciudad Juarez, where the awards ceremony took place

The show was honored last Tuesday by officials of the Mexican government during National Conservation Week at a ceremony in Ciudad Juarez. The celebration and awards ceremony took place at the “Medanos de Samalayuca,” among the highest and largest sand dunes in Mexico, located just across the border from El Paso, Texas in the state of Chihuahua. The dunes are one of the country’s natural protected areas and home to coyotes, jack rabbits and kangaroo rats—just a few of the animals that had left visible tracks on the day of the ceremony.

Places like these exemplify the abundance of wildlife that our Mexican colleagues are fighting to protect. And with award-winning shows like Supervivencia, our allies have shown that they continue to lead the way.

Congratulations to the producers of the radio show and to Maria Elena and Juan Carlos for all their terrific work!