From working with communities in northwest Ecuador to supporting conservation agreement initiatives in 19 countries around the globe, Margarita Mora has dedicated the last 15 years to figuring out how to make conservation a viable alternative for communities. Margarita leads the conservation agreements network established by Conservation International’s Conservation Stewards Program, which pioneered the conservation agreements model. She is also applying the learning and experience from her work with agreements to shaping the birth of Nia Tero, an organization committed to securing indigenous guardianship of vital ecosystems. Margarita believes that if we want the ecosystems that are vital for humanity's wellbeing to thrive, the people who have sustained and are most knowledgeable of these places need to thrive. She is a Conservation Fellow at the Mulago Foundation and a Heinrich Böll Stiftung alumna.