We make bold progress for animals by working on the biggest problems, no matter where they are or how deeply entrenched. The illegal wildlife trade is one of these problems. Each year, billions of wild animals are killed for their parts or are captured live to be sold as pets or into entertainment. Stopping wildlife trafficking—one of the largest and most lucrative criminal enterprises in the world and the cause of so much animal suffering—requires strategic thinking and collaboration. Because so many wild animal lives hang in the balance, we work in the U.S. (one of the world’s largest importers of wildlife parts and products) and globally to raise awareness and therefore decrease demand for trafficked wildlife, while also advocating for the passage of strong wildlife trade laws. Here, Antón Aguilar, executive director of Humane World for Animals Mexico, tells the story of how a new partnership to protect wild animals formed there and what comes next.
Mexico’s extraordinary biodiversity tells a global story. From jaguars moving through dense rainforests to sea turtles nesting along thousands of miles of coastline, the country shelters species and ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. This natural heritage matters far beyond Mexico’s borders. It underpins climate resilience, regional stability and global conservation. Mexico’s biodiversity also faces rising pressure from illegal trade in wildlife and their parts and products.
Wildlife trafficking in Mexico is not an abstract threat. It causes immense suffering to individual animals, strips ecosystems of their balance, and fuels criminal networks that operate across borders. Addressing this problem requires more than laws on the books. Effectively reducing trafficking requires institutions that can act, partners that trust one another, and strategies that combine enforcement with prevention and public awareness.
Earlier this month, Humane World for Animals took an important step forward by signing a collaboration agreement with Mexico’s Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, PROFEPA, to support the agency’s implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking. This agreement represents more than a milestone. It reflects years of relationship building and a shared belief that durable change depends on long-term collaboration with public authorities.
The roots of this partnership go back to an earlier chapter. When PROFEPA’s current head, Mariana Boy Tamborell, led Mexico City’s environmental and land use attorney office, Humane World for Animals Mexico (then Humane Society International Mexico) worked closely with her team on practical, hands-on solutions: training public officials, strengthening compliance, improving how authorities receive and process animal cruelty reports, advancing forensic veterinary tools and reviewing regulatory frameworks. Those efforts built the trust necessary for a shared way of working, one that is laser-focused on results.
Now, that trust expands nationwide. With Mariana Boy now leading PROFEPA, the collaboration stretches across Mexico, a country whose status as a megadiverse nation makes wildlife protection both urgent and complex. The January 2026 agreement focuses on gathering data to build the foundation for three priorities:
Wildlife trafficking exists because demand persists, so building public awareness is essential. People must know that buying wild animals or wildlife products causes harm and often violates the law. Education and prevention stand as the most effective ways to protect species before enforcement even begins. We will support the agency’s awareness strategy development, beginning with focused data collection on the wildlife trade.
Saving wildlife from traffickers depends on building capacity to respond to crimes. The second priority is capacity building. PROFEPA plays a central role in enforcing environmental law across a vast and complex territory. Humane World for Animals Mexico will support, identify and provide specialized training for authorities, with the aim of helping strengthen detection, investigation and response to wildlife crimes. Strong institutions protect animals, but they also protect communities and ecosystems.
Wildlife trafficking does not stop at borders, so international dialogue must inform strategy. Mexico’s position as a megadiverse country and a transit route makes cooperation with international counterparts essential. The agreement creates space to refine enforcement strategies and engage with agencies in other countries that face similar challenges.
For us, this partnership reflects the simple conviction that protecting wildlife requires allies inside institutions, not just pressure from the outside. For supporters worldwide, it demonstrates how the expertise, persistence and the trust we build over time translate into stronger enforcement and real impact for animals and the ecosystems they depend on.
Antón Aguilar is executive director of Humane World for Animals Mexico.
