Lucía Ruiz Bustos

Director of Conservation Areas, Earth for Life

Lucia Ruiz
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Lucía Ruiz Bustos serves as Director of Conservation Areas, where she leads efforts to strengthen area-based conservation initiatives across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. With over seventeen years of experience in biodiversity policy and conservation finance, she has worked across public, multilateral, and NGO sectors to address global conservation challenges. Her leadership focuses on developing innovative approaches to safeguard critical ecosystems, ensuring that conservation priorities meet the needs of both nature and people.

Before joining WWF US, Lucía led policy and conservation finance efforts at WWF Mexico, where she coordinated WWF’s position and advocacy for the adoption of the global 30x30 target. Prior to that, she served at Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), where she directed teams to enhance financial sustainability, engage the private sector, promote sustainable tourism, and build inclusive value chains. During her time at CONANP, she led the design of a methodology to assess financial gaps in protected areas, a critical tool for ensuring long-term sustainability.

Lucía’s conservation career began in the Lacandona Rainforest where she implemented Payment for Ecosystem Services programs. Her extensive experience in both fieldwork and policy gives her a deep understanding of the intersection between environmental stewardship and economic sustainability.

She holds a degree in Biology and a master’s degree in Environmental Management. Actively involved in global conservation governance, Lucía serves as a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas and supports youth groups in advancing their environmental agendas. Through her work, she remains committed to fostering collaboration with decision-makers and stakeholders to achieve common conservation goals.

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Director of Conservation Areas