Fernando Ortiz

Fernando was born in Guayaquil, mainland Ecuador.  His first visit to Galapagos as a tourist when he was a teenager made up his mind regarding what to study at university. He moved to Galapagos a couple of years after completing his training as marine biologist.  He became a naturalist guide and a dive instructor which took him, and other colleague at the time, to underwater places seldomly explored before.  After almost a decade as dive guide, Fernando worked as operations manager for a diving tour company, prior to joining the Galapagos National Park as head of the Marine Resources department.  After that, he became head of the Galapagos chapter for a Conservation NGO for 7 years.

This working experience showed him that the Galapagos archipelago is a complex socio-ecosystem.  Conservation work goes beyond “Tree Hugging” and may entail scientific work, creation of legal framework, education, social marketing and the creation of successful and sustainable business schemes

The last eight years, he came back to the trails as a Naturalist Guide once again, staying busy with his family, photography, cooking and other personal projects.  He lives in Puerto Ayora.