CONTRERAS MACBEATH, EINAR TOPILTZIN

Dr. Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath (Topis)

For the past 40 years he has been Professor of ichthyology and Conservation Biology at the Autonomous University of the State Morelos, in central Mexico, where he has contributed to the academic formation of many generations of biologists, and where he is head of the Conservation Biology work group. His main research interests are related to freshwater ecosystems and endangered fish species conservation. One of his most outstanding achievements, has been the conservation of the Morelos minnow, Notropis boucardi, a species that was critically endangered, and that is now protected and appreciated by local communities. He served as President of the advisory Committee of the Natural Protected Area “Corredor Biológico Chichinautzin” for 23 years, where he has been working with other researchers, local authorities, and stakeholders in designing and implementing strategies directed towards the sustainable management of the area. He is involved in many international organizations: he is a founder and Regional Coordinator for Mesoamerica of the IUCN/SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group; he is founder and Co-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee and serves as a member of the Steering Committee of the Species Survival Commission at IUCN. He is the former Minister of Sustainable Development for the Government of the State of Morelos in Central Mexico. He is also an accomplished photographer, in 2020 he helped create the “Alianza Mexicana de Fotografía para la Conservación” and organization that promotes conservation initiatives in Mexico, with the use of photography as a communication tool.