Team Members
Dr. Miguel González
(Principal Investigator)
York University, Canada
Dr. González is a leading expert in Indigenous rights, self-governance frameworks, and small-scale fisheries throughout Latin America. His interdisciplinary approach examines how traditional governance systems intersect with contemporary legal structures to support community autonomy and resource management. As the project's principal coordinator, he plans collaborative research initiatives across multiple regions while maintaining the project's foundational commitment to community-driven methodologies. His leadership ensures that all research activities remain grounded in the priorities and knowledge systems of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, fostering genuine partnership rather than extractive academic practice.
Director of the Las Nubes Project
Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York University, Canada
Dr. Montoya is a well-known scholar in biocultural conservation and sustainable development, with expertise that bridges ecological science and community-centered approaches to environmental stewardship. He co-directs groundbreaking research on land rights and sustainable governance models, with a particular focus on Costa Rica's diverse ecosystems and Indigenous territories. His work examines how traditional ecological knowledge can inform contemporary conservation strategies while strengthening community autonomy over ancestral lands and natural resources.
Dr. Ana Isabel Márquez-Pérez
Instituto de Estudios Caribeños, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Dr. Márquez-Pérez is a distinguished scholar specializing in maritime law and the rights of Afro-descendant communities. Her research centers on maritime tenure rights within the San Andrés Archipelago, where she examines the complex intersections of traditional fishing practices, territorial sovereignty, and legal frameworks. Beyond her academic work, she leads community-based initiatives that train local youth in legal advocacy, empowering the next generation to protect their maritime heritage and advance social justice within their communities.
Dr. Bernal Castillo
Escuela de Antropología, Universidad de Panamá
Dr. Castillo is an anthropologist specializing in Indigenous autonomy and education. He leads research in Panama on Guna territorial governance and bilingual intercultural education strategies.
Dr. Ritsuko Funaki
Chuo University, Japan
Dr. Funaki is a researcher in Indigenous rights and Latin American studies. She contributes to the comparative analysis of tenure rights and supports the project’s knowledge mobilization strategies, particularly in the academic sphere.
Alejandro Parellada
International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Denmark
Parellada advises on the project’s implementation, drawing from IWGIA’s extensive experience in Indigenous rights advocacy. He ensures that research findings are disseminated widely and used for policy advocacy.
Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), USA
Cerqueira offers legal expertise, particularly in human rights law. He provides training for community leaders and supports legal strategies related to the protection of collective land and maritime rights.
Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), USA
Ana Elisa is a Guatemalan lawyer with a master’s in Public Policy. She joined DPLF in March 2024, supporting the Climate Justice and Human Rights program and the Transitional Justice and Fight Against Impunity program. Previously, she consulted for organizations including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala, taught at Rafael Landívar University, and served (2019–2023) as legal advisor and head of an anti-trafficking and gender-based violence program for Lawyers Without Borders Canada. She has 11+ years’ experience defending human rights, including six years at Guatemala’s Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office.
PhD Candidate, York University, Canada
Prilly is a Senior Research Assistant on the project. She assists the Principal Investigator with ethics protocols and initiates and maintains communication with project collaborators and external partner institutions. Prilly also provides essential research support, contributes to data collection and dissemination, and supports the publication of project outputs.
PhD Candidate, York University, Canada
Luisa's doctoral research examines enforced disappearance, memory, and post-conflict processes in Colombia through collaborative, community-based methods. As Senior Research Assistant on the project, she supports Indigenous and Afro-descendant partners, translates research into accessible bilingual outputs, and strengthens networks of autonomy—extending her dissertation commitments to ethical collaboration, public scholarship, and engaged research.