About us
In 2003 a group of people composed by residents, local fishermen, producers, scientists and other stakeholders of the Laguna de Rocha area began meeting regularly to coordinate actions to prevent its deterioration.
Advances were made in demarcating the area and protecting it, by hiring park rangers, placing signage and launching environmental education activities, together with scientific research and dissemination of sustainable development concepts. Our Foundation was formally created in 2008, and, together with other institutions, the lagoon and its watershed was put forward for inclusion into the National Protected Area System, which was approved in 2010. It soon became evident that action was necessary in other lagoons, and FLC extended its area of action first to Laguna Garzón, and subsequently to other areas.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote the conservation and restoration of coastal lagoons and their adjacent land and sea areas by means of environmental education, research and awareness raising.
Our Values
Our work is inspired by respect, integrity and optimism. We value the diversity of life on the planet as a whole. We promote transparency and the active participation of the community in decision-making processes. We recognise community identity as a tool for development, and respect the diversity of our cultures, talents and experiences.
Our Vision
We envision healthy and prosperous communities, living in a harmonious relationship with their natural environment, the stewardship of which they are committed to.
Executive team
Currently we operate with an executive team of four, and we hire experts and professionals as required.
Luis Castelli
President of the Board of Directors. A lawyer specializing in Environmental Law, he has postgraduate degrees in environmental impact assessment, international legislation for environmental protection and mediation in environmental conflicts, among others.
Federico Pírez
Federico holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Management and is currently studying for a master’s degree in Sustainability. He has an integrative approach to current environmental challenges, searching for solutions to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. At FLC he finds a fruitful space to achieve his goals.
Joaquín Aldabe
MSc. In Biological Sciences from the University of the Republic of Uruguay (UDELAR). He specialises in ecology applied to birdlife conservation, particularly in agricultural systems and cultural landscapes. A professor and researcher for CURE /UDELAR). Technical advisor to the NGO Aves Uruguay, and local representative for BirdLife International.
Victoria Pereira
With a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law and a Professor of Politics and Environmental Law, her work currently focuses on the implementation of sustainable strategies within the private and public sectors, and on promoting sustainability in several areas of action through a specialised consulting firm, SEA (Sustainability in Action).
Silvia Zumarán
A long-time activist in environmental issues, she finds at FLC a space for action that reflects her life goal of furthering conservation and education for a better world. She focuses on coordinating awareness-raising actions such as coastal clean-ups, workshops on environmental issues and also on stakeholder relations in the shorebird conservation programme.
Supporting team
Several members of our supporting team are FLC founders, together with other passionate conservationists who came on board to contribute their knowledge towards furthering the Foundation’s goals.
Daniel de Álava
Oceanographer / MSc. in Environmental Sciences. Professor at the Interdisciplinary Coastal Management Center MCISur / Eastern Campus – Rocha / UDELAR. General Coordinator for the Master’s Degree in Integrated Coastal Management of the Southern Cone. He currently focuses on the integration of coastal geomorphology and dynamics with the ecological knowledge of local populations from the Integrated Coastal Management viewpoint.
Daniel Conde
BsC in Biological Oceanography and PhD in Aquatic Ecology, specializing in the ecology of coastal lagoons and integrated coastal management. Senior lecturer and Level II researcher at the National Researcher System of ANII, and Level One researcher for PEDECIBA. Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Center for Integrated Coastal Management of the Southern Cone.
Daniel Pereira
A programmer by profession, he is also a tourist operator in La Paloma, Rocha. He lived for many years on the Laguna de Rocha coast and was an early member of the original FLC team. He continues to participate actively in our projects, workshops and actions.
Lorena Rodriguez
A biologist, she specialises in aquatic ecology and environmental planning. She works in research applied to protected area management in interdisciplinary teams.
María Clara Urioste
A resident of the Laguna de Rocha area who is passionate about landscape protection. Her focus is mainly on education. A member of the Advisory Committee of the Laguna de Rocha Protected Area on behalf of FLC.
Javier Vitancurt
Director of the Rocha campus of CURE/University of the Republic, he has worked in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the eastern region of Uruguay since 1993 (Probides). From 2009 until 2014 he worked for the National Protected Area System (SNAP) with focus on Laguna de Rocha, serving as the area Acting Director for 3 years.