By: Antonio de Jesús Gómez Pérez
Hello, I’m Antonio Gómez, the new Technical Manager at the Vallarta Botanical Garden. I studied Biology at the Faculty of Higher Studies Iztacala of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where I focused on the botany and paleobotany of the national territory — that is, the study of Mexico’s ancient vegetation, approximately 280 million years old, which already showed remarkable plant diversity at that time.
For the past ten years, I’ve had the great honor and responsibility of collaborating with several botanical gardens, both in temperate and tropical regions of our megadiverse Mexico. My main lines of work include landscaping with native species, sustainable gardening, environmental education, promotion of Mexico’s biocultural heritage, and, of course, the conservation and research of plant species, populations, and communities at risk of disappearing.
Today, by joining the 20-year legacy of the Vallarta Botanical Garden, I see an opportunity to contribute to the conservation of western Mexico’s biodiversity, to foster alliances and agreements with environmental institutions, and to promote the biocultural richness that is so deeply interwoven in our nation’s history — all with the purpose of leaving a better country for future generations.
I believe our existence is a fleeting instant within the vast history of life on this planet, yet a single moment of awareness can be enough to inspire actions that positively impact the future of life and its prosperity. It’s a purpose we can only achieve through unity and collaboration, for, as one of Mexico’s great defenders of life once said:
“For everyone, everything.”
