The Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) has kickstarted the careers of nearly 4,500 conservationists over the last four decades. Among them is marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer, Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez, whose career took off ten years ago after a CLP Career Placement.
“What I know is that without the initial support of CLP, many things would have been much harder than they already were…CLP was a support in my path and opened opportunities at relevant moments.” – Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez
CLP alumna Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez with a Galápagos sea lion © Amparo Suarez
Originally from Ecuador, Ana describes her homeland as a “tiny country in size but huge in diversity of all kinds. We call it ‘la tierra de los 4 mundos’ which translates as ‘the land of four worlds’ – the Amazon, the Highlands, the coast, and the Galápagos”.
From a young age, Ana was fascinated by nature, especially the ocean, and decided to dedicate her life to marine conservation.
“Everything changed when I first experienced the underwater world. From that moment, I knew this was where I truly belonged. I wanted to take responsibility as a human being and use science to contribute to the study and conservation of the ocean.”
Ana experiences a “moment of joy” diving with a seal © Dr Jerry Landivar
Eleven years ago, after completing her undergraduate degree and looking for her first role in conservation, Ana was chosen for a CLP Career Placement, working with a team at the regional office of CLP partner, Fauna & Flora, in Ecuador. Through these placements, CLP enables young, aspiring conservationists to gain real-world experience in conservation and develop the skills and networks vital for a successful career in the sector.
One of the key achievements from Ana’s CLP placement was to contribute to the implementation of a management plan for the Galera San Francisco Marine Reserve in Esmeraldas province (a name meaning “emerald” due to the province’s extraordinary rainforest). Through outreach, education, and monitoring activities, she helped strengthen the long-term conservation of Ecuador’s largest continental marine protected area. Ongoing support from CLP and other funding organisations have supported her on her subsequent career journey.
A powerful inspiration
During her career placement, Ana focused on inspiring and engaging local communities in marine conservation. “The placement helped me to understand more deeply how essential it is to have the local community engaged and motivated for real marine conservation action and long-term commitment.”
During her CLP Career Placement, Ana engaged the local Esmeralda s community in marine conservation © Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez
Ana reveals that one of the proudest moments from her CLP placement was deciding to live in Esmeraldas for the entire duration of the internship. “This allowed me to build genuine relationships with the Afro-Latino community of Esmeraldas. I could learn from their local knowledge, experience their kindness and feel truly connected to them by sharing the challenges and joys of living in a remote rainforest near the Marine Protected Area and to share my passion for marine conservation directly,” she explains.
Ana chose to live with the Afro-Latino community of Esmeraldas, in a remote rainforest, for the duration of her CLP placement © Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez
Indeed, Ana is a powerful inspiration for those who rarely see themselves represented in science. She is the first in her family and community to pursue a scientific career and is “proud of being a Latina woman of colour in marine science.”
She is passionate about creating safe, ethical working environments where conservationists from different cultures and backgrounds feel represented and supported. CLP shares her vision and is actively working to develop awareness and practical strategies that foster an inclusive and collaborative alumni community.
Sustained impact
After completing her placement, Ana’s career took off. She gained further marine research experience in the Galápagos and undertook coral reef monitoring and restoration in the Dominican Republic. She then went on to be selected for a highly competitive Erasmus Mundus scholarship, allowing her to complete her master’s studies at Ghent University, Sorbonne University, and the University of Bremen.
Erasmus Mundus scholar Ana-Belén (front row, third from left) with her Master’s cohort in 2018 on a field trip to Portugal © IMBRSea
Later supported by the National Geographic Society (NGS), in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), Ana’s subsequent research in the Galápagos and Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, focused on deep-sea corals and the expansion of oxygen minimum zones in the tropics due to climate change.
Through the NGS/SOI grant, her project was expanded beyond the Galápagos to include Ecuador and Isla del Coco, enabling regional collaboration in Latin America that Ana describes as “essential for marine conservation and for understanding large-scale patterns across the Eastern Tropical Pacific.”
Ana-Belén onboard submarine Argonauta during her work in Fiji with National Geographic Pristine Seas © Iñigo San Felix
She explains that the expedition aboard Falkor (too) was a large effort led by international scientists from Canada, Europe and the US, with the NGS/SOI grant enabling her position as project leader in the Galápagos and Isla del Coco.
Why has she focused her research on these sites in particular?
“The Galápagos, Ecuador and Isla del Coco are Marine Protected Areas and UNESCO World Heritage sites,” Ana explains. “Their deep sea has never been exposed to bottom trawling, oil extraction, or mining, making them pristine environments and offering a fascinating window into how the world’s deep-sea ecosystems were before human impacts altered them.”
The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador are a hot spot of biodiversity characterized by pristine marine environments and endemic species, such as the Galápagos marine iguana © Ana-Belén Yánez-Suárez
Ongoing support
As a member of the global CLP Alumni Network, Ana has received ongoing professional development support, which she says, “significantly expanded my professional network and increased my visibility in the scientific community.”
This includes supporting her participation in the 2016 International Coral Reef Symposium in Hawai’i, where she made connections that “later led to collaborations in coral reef restoration and deepened my commitment to coral reef conservation.”
Ana-Belén with Dr Peter Glynn (a highly esteemed coral reef scientist who studied Galápagos shallow water corals) and with other delegates at the International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in 2016, supported by a CLP alumni grant © ICRS
More recently, in February 2026, another CLP grant helped Ana attend the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, where she served as co-chair on a session focused on deep-sea research and conservation, and delivered a presentation about a coral garden she and her team discovered in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.
She describes this discovery as a particularly memorable moment from her career to date. “We discovered [the coral garden] during my National Geographic fieldwork at Isla del Coco. I decided to map and explore an area that had never been investigated before. During a 12-hour ROV [Remotely Operated Vehicle] dive, we discovered a coral garden thriving under anoxic [very low oxygen] conditions. Even more amazingly, this habitat turned out to be formed by a species new to science.”
Ana-Belén delivering a presentation on her research at the 2026 Ocean Sciences Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland © Salome Buglass
Future plans and advice for aspiring conservationists
Ana will soon finish her PhD in Canada, leading research on deep-sea corals, sponges, and chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes including sharks, skates, and rays), with one of her recent papers documenting 12 new records of sharks, rays, and chimaeras for the Galápagos Islands (in preparation). Her future plans involve leading meaningful, science-driven work dedicated to the conservation of marine ecosystems.
Ana has some helpful advice for conservationists just starting out in their career:
“Leadership is not always welcomed, especially when it comes from young women of colour from developing countries. But you do it anyway. You keep showing up. You keep building. You keep serving, even when it makes people uncomfortable. Above all, trust that your ambition and leadership are rooted in purpose, and that this purpose will carry you through the challenges ahead. The environment is worth protecting, and if you feel that call, follow it. It may be the purpose of your life to leave the world better than you found it.”
Ana-Belén in 2025 giving a seminar to raise awareness about deep-sea science in Ecuador at the Escuela Politécnica Superior del Litoral where she obtained her Bachelor’s degree 11 years ago © Cristian Moran