Felipe Cruz is the Director of Technical Assistance for the Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos Islands. He was born on Floreana Island, one of the five inhabited islands in the Galapagos.
Felipe began work as a field assistant with the Charles Darwin Research Station in the early 1980s. His first project on the dark-rumped petrel saved this bird from extinction and has become one of the most successful conservation projects in the Galapagos.
In 1997, Felipe returned to work for the Charles Darwin Research Station, this time with a focus on the Marine Reserve. A key component of his work was the extension of the Marine Reserve to forty nautical miles.
He was appointed Technical Director of the Isabela Project which had as its goal, the ecological restoration of the island. Felipe devoted his time to building and supervising the team of hunters working on the eradication of goats from Pinta Island; pigs, donkeys and goats from Santiago Island; and goats and donkeys from Isabela Island. The Isabela Project was ended in June 2006, achieving far more than was planned and is now regarded as a shining example of practical conservation.
In 2006, Felipe started his current position as Director of Technical Assistance for the Charles Darwin Foundation, with responsibility for capacity building within the local community. Felipe is also a member of the General Assembly for the Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galápagos Islands.
In November 2008, Felipe was awarded the "Conservation Action Prize" by the Harris World Ecology Centre which is at the University of Missouri in St Louis, USA.