El Sol de Mexico: How Pati Ruiz Corzo built a community-led conservation movement in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda

For almost four decades, Martha “Pati” Ruiz Corzo and Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) have helped build a community-led conservation movement in Querétaro, Mexico.

What began as a local effort to protect nature has grown into a wider model connecting biodiversity conservation, carbon capture, sustainable waste management and rural communities.

The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve spans more than 3,800 square kilometres and encompasses diverse ecosystems and wildlife. Through long-term community engagement, environmental initiatives and local partnerships, GESG has worked to make conservation part of everyday life demonstrating how protecting nature can go hand in hand with strengthening local livelihoods.

In this profile, El Sol de México journalist Rosario Reyes explores Pati’s journey and the community effort behind the Sierra Gorda’s conservation work, including initiatives to reduce waste and expand recycling through a network of more than 190 collection centres.

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