Our Founders
Biodiversity Conservation Colombia
CO-FOUNDER
Jacob Stanley Griffiths
Jacob currently lives in Mauritius and works in his family business. He is a lawyer, founder, and director of Biodiversity Conservation Colombia and director of the Biodiversity Conservation Trust Foundation.
Jacob was raised in a family of environmental activists with a particular interest in biodiversity hotspots that are not well covered by global conservation organizations. Following in his family’s footsteps, Jacob founded Biodiversity Conservation Colombia with the aim of preserving Malpelo as a pristine ecosystem that he first visited in 2014.
CEO, CO-FOUNDER
Erika P Lopez
Erika has more than 28 years of experience in the diving industry. She has been (at various times in her career) a diving instructor, dive guide in Malpelo, and forest warden in Colombian national parks. Erika holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering and a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, specializing in migration patterns of pelagic species.
Erika is co-founder and director of Biodiversity Conservation Colombia. She has been working for Malpelo since 2010 as a dive guide and national park warden, helping to protect the sanctuary from illegal fishing.